Lionel Richie opened up in his new memoir about a dramatic confrontation between his then-wife, Brenda Harvey, and Diane Alexander, the woman he was seeing at the time. Truly: An Inspirational Journey Through the Life of a Musical Legend was published on September 30 and details personal anecdotes from the singer. The 76-year-old shared details of his then love triangle, with Brenda eventually arrested in 1988 on suspicion of corporal injury to a spouse, resisting arrest and battery. The former couple tied the knot in 1975 and welcomed their daughter, Nicole Richie, in 1983.
"What very few people knew was that Brenda and I were separated. I got a place at the beach, and I was hiding out there, trying to be alone, trying to decompress somehow, because it was killing everyone," penned the singer. Lionel admitted how he had driven to town one morning "to see Diane". "Shortly after I arrive, there is a knock at the door," he shared.
© Ron Galella Collection via Getty"When the door opens, Brenda is standing there. There is a massive confrontation. Diane is in total shock and I’m trying to leave, to draw Brenda away." The singer described the meeting as "the most awful screaming match of my life". "The question is – How to stop it? How do you physically move a tragedy that is exploding in front of you?" he added.
The former couple then exited the home before Brenda "went back and resumed the argument". The neighbors later called the police and "charges were brought and then dropped". Lionel informed the police that "he was kicked in the stomach area" by Brenda during the argument. The star explained how the story "took on a life of its own". "The most painful part, the tragedy of our lives, was that Brenda was heartbroken," he penned.
He continued: "You never know what you are going to do or feel until you’re in the moment and it’s in your face. None of us had been in this situation. We all deserved a pass because we didn’t know what the story was going to be. It was just raw and ugly and disastrous. Prior to that morning, I recall there was a cloud of uncertainty as to whether I wanted to try to reconcile and not be separated."
Lionel and Brenda divorced in 1993 after 18 years of marriage. Two years later, he married Diane Alexander. The couple went on to welcome two children – son Miles, now 31, and daughter Sofia, 27 – before divorcing in 2004.
