Legendary singer, songwriter, producer and performer Lionel Richie will receive the Icon Award at the 2022 American Music Awards.
The Icon Award recognizes “an artist whose body of work has marked a global influence over the music industry.” 

Richie, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday night, holds the distinction of being “the only artist in history to be featured on the AMAs stage in every decade since the show’s inception."

The 17-time AMA winner will also take the stage and give a highly-anticipated performance of some of his greatest hits.

“I’m immensely grateful for a career that has taken me to places I never imagined that I’d go, from arenas worldwide to studio sets to the AMA stage,” Richie said in a statement. “I can recall one of the first times I got to perform at the AMAs. It was to sing ‘We Are the World’ among the most iconic musicians of my generation, so it is surreal to be receiving this recognition 36 years later.”

“Lionel Richie has had a profound impact on countless people around the world and on the music industry as a whole,” said executive producer and showrunner Jesse Collins. “From the millions of dollars raised due to ‘We Are the World’ to the global influence his unique sound still has today, Richie is the definition of a living legend, and honoring him with the AMAs Icon Award is a no-brainer.” 

Over the course of his illustrious career, Richie has composed classic songs such as “Brickhouse,” Easy," Sail On," "Three Times a Lady," and "Still,” plus many more as the co-founder of the funk band the Commodores.

As a solo artist, his debut self-titled album, Can’t Slow Down and Dancing on the Ceiling have sold over 100 million records worldwide combined, making him one of the world's best-selling artists of all time. Also, he wrote "Endless Love," a duet with Diana Ross which remains among the top 20 bestselling singles of all time. He also co-wrote “We Are the World” with Michael Jackson to benefit famine relief in Africa; the single sold over 20 million copies across the globe,.

Richie recently announced the extension of his Back to Las Vegas residency at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas into 2023. He is also currently filming his sixth season as a judge on ABC’s American Idol 

Hosted by Wayne Brady, the 2022 American Music Awards will air live from the Microsoft Theater at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 20, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. EST/PST on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu.