ET
One proud father! Lionel Richie couldn’t be happier for his little girl and her new husband.
The American Idoljudge spoke with ET’s Matt Cohen in Hollywood on Monday, after the season’s first live show, and the legendary singer opened up about walking daughter Sofia Richie down the aisle this past weekend, in her wedding to Elliot Grainge.
“This is [my] baby girl,” a beaming Lionel said of the deep significance of the event. “All I can say to you is, for every dad that’s ever been this way or getting ready to experience it, it is a humbling time in your life. Because you’re handing one of the loves of your life away.”
“But really, I’ll tell you a story, I’ve known Elliot since he was 9,” Lionel explained. “So interestingly enough, I didn’t have to vet the kid. I know who he is!”
The iconic musician explained that he and Elliot’s father, Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge, have “been friends a very long time.”
“I love him,” Lionel said of his new son-in-law. “I love them. So it was really great.”
As for the ceremony itself, Lionel admitted, “I mean, I was crying. It was it was a great ceremony.”
“I love that it was one of those moments I will never, ever forget,” he added.
When asked if he sang anything at his daughter’s reception, Lionel joked, “They wanted ‘Hello’ and a little ‘Stuck On You’ and I told them, ‘Ehh, I’m not in the budget, but I’ll, I’ll do it for [you].'”
The wedding ceremony comes just a few weeks before the “All Night Long” singer will be performing at King Charles III’ Coronation Concert in England, and Lionel says he’s “honestly blown away” by the opportunity.
“To be in this part of history, I’m just blown away, I’m so excited to be there. I’m walking in history,” he marveled.
Richie will also be judging the forthcoming live rounds of American Idol, as the season heats up. American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. PT/ET on ABC.
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