Hollywood

Lionel Richie Honored at TCL Chinese Theatre

The legendary entertainer joins a small group of stars with their handprints cemented in front of the theater.

Legendary entertainer Lionel Richie joined an exclusive club of celebrities "cemented" in time when he imprinted his hands in cement at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Wednesday.

Jimmy Kimmel was the emcee of the event, where Richie received Hollywood's oldest award.

"This is my Hollywood dream come true," the singer said in a statement prior to the ceremony. "Of all the Hollywood awards, this is the one I can share with the public forever."

At the event, Richie reiterated his gratitude. "I just want to say that this is probably the most out-of-body experience I have experienced in my entire life. And I'm so happy to be here to represent this and I cannot wait to get my hands and my feet in the cement."

Richie already has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but his legacy is cemented in front of the Chinese Theatre alongside only a handful of Hollywood luminaries. Mariah Carey was the last celebrity honored, in November 2017. Only eight entertainers were honored last year, including filmmakers Michael Bay, Ridley Scott, and Stan Lee.

Richie has sold more than 100 million albums and received multiple awards, including four Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe award. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994 and received the Johnny Mercer Award in 2016. That award, the highest honor bestowed by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, recognizes a songwriter or songwriter team who has already been inducted and whose body of work upholds the "gold standard" set by Johnny Mercer.

Lionel Richie is currently a host on "American Idol." He completed his North America All the Hits Tour in 2017.

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