Who Is Brenda Harvey Ritchie? A Look Into Lionel Richie’s First Marriage

In his recently released memoir Truly, music legend Lionel Richie reflects on one of the most turbulent periods of his life — the arrest of his first wife, Brenda Harvey Ritchie. The Grammy-winning singer refers to the incident as “the scandal of my century,” recalling a chaotic confrontation that unfolded in 1988.

Richie and Brenda, who married in 1975, adopted Nicole Richie when she was just nine years old. However, by the late ’80s, the couple had quietly separated, a fact that was not public knowledge at the time.

Richie recounted in the memoir that in June 1988, he was staying at a beach house in an attempt to escape the growing emotional strain in his life. Seeking peace, he decided to return to Los Angeles and visit Diane Alexander, who would later become his second wife.

Shortly after arriving at Diane’s apartment, an unexpected knock at the door changed everything. “When the door opens, Brenda is standing there. There is a massive confrontation,” Richie wrote. What followed, he described as “the most awful screaming match of my life,” taking place in the apartment’s small entryway.

As Richie attempted to defuse the situation by stepping outside and trying to draw Brenda away, the confrontation escalated. “She went back and resumed the argument,” he recalled, noting the difficulty of de-escalating such an emotionally charged scene: “How do you physically move a tragedy that is exploding in front of you?“

The argument drew the attention of neighbors, who called the police. According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, Brenda Harvey Ritchie was arrested on charges including corporal injury to a spouse, resisting arrest, and battery. She was later released on $5,000 bail, after being seen by police “striking and kicking” Alexander.

Richie expressed relief that the incident occurred in a time before social media. “The story became the scandal of my century. It took on a life of its own. Thankfully, there was no social media,” he wrote.

He and Diane Alexander married in 1995 and had two children, Miles and Sofia Richie, before divorcing in 2004.

Brenda, meanwhile, has remained involved in the music industry. According to her X (formerly Twitter) bio, she is a songwriter and runs BRP Publishing, a music publishing company. She’s also credited with providing production assistance on Lionel’s past projects.

Richie further reflected on the emotional toll the situation had on Brenda. “The most painful part, the tragedy of our lives, was that Brenda was heartbroken. And I get it,” he admitted. “None of us had been in this situation. It was just raw and ugly and disastrous.“