If you were to die tomorrow, how would you spend your final day on Earth?
Considering his mortality this month is the incomparable soul man Lionel Richie.
Where would you wake up?
If this were my last day on Earth I’d do it on an island somewhere in the Caribbean.
Who would you wake up next to?
Well, that’s where it gets complicated, because I would want to wake up with all of my kids and all of my grandkids and all of my family,because I think that would be the best way to go – and that definitely saves me on not calling the right name!
Describe how you spend your last day.
The only thing left to achieve would be to just enjoy the fact that the ride was amazing, and probably say as many ‘I love you’s as I could. It would be a day of reflection for sure. But I wouldn’t want for more because I’ve had more than I could have ever imagined in the first place.
Who do you invite for your final dinner?
For certain I would have Prince there; Mr. Jokes himself. Lenny Kravitz would be there. I’d invite Obama, just to talk about what he planned on doing for the future. And I’d probably invite Marilyn Manson because he’s been a fan for so long and he’d definitely bring a little spice to the party.
What would be on the menu?
Meatloaf sandwiches: brown bread on both sides, a little relish, with a fried egg on top. I figure that’s probably what killed me in the first place!
You’re having your farewell party. Where is it, and who’s coming?
Well, that would be the first time in the history of Lionel Richie that I would actually open the gates and invite the tour bus in that normally travels along Beverley Hills. And I’d tell everybody, ‘Listen, forget about the security; pull your cameras out, take as many pictures as you can, and everybody get smashed and jump in the pool.’ But only on the last day on Earth. Other than that we keep the gates closed and no pictures please.
“I would want Elvis to meet me first. His first words would have to be, ‘You did a great job.’ And I’d say, ‘Thankyouverymuch.’”
Who would be on the bill at the party?
U2 would be playing, absolutely. And I’d bring The Commodores back together right away. That would be the reunion. And then I may even bring in Earth, Wind And Fire and maybe, just maybe, Beyoncé if she happened to be in the neighbourhood, passing by with Jay-Z.
And what album do you listen to?
If it happens soon then it could be one of mine. If it happens later then I’ll probably be too sick and tired of hearing my songs. But you know what I’d love to hear? The Commodores’ live album.
How would you like to snuff it?
Quiet… No, no, what am I saying, the other way round. If I had to do it right, I’d book a concert in one of the big halls around the world. Kill it; sell it out. Have Lionel’s going away party. And then at the very last moment, they would say to me, ‘Okay Lionel, you can’t hang around any more, you have to go’, then they’d morphine me up, and I go out with a smile on my face. And then, and only then, could they say, ‘Lionel had a drug problem.’
Which dead star would welcome you at the pearly gates?
I think probably I would want Elvis to meet me first. His first words would have to be, ‘You did a great job.’ And I’d say, ‘Thankyouverymuch.’
How would you like to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered as a guy who actually found his purpose in life, and enjoyed the ride, and shared the joy with everyone else.
Lionel Richies’s new album, ‘Just Go’, is out now on Mercury.
