Lionel Richie is reveling in grandfatherhood. Just one month after his daughter Sofia Richie and her husband Elliot Grainge welcomed their second child, a son named Henry, the music legend shared heartwarming details about his role as 'Pop Pop.'
In an exclusive interview with E! News at the King's Trust gala in New York City on April 29, the 75-year-old singer joked that Sofia and Elliot might need to pry him away from the baby. 'I'm so happy about that,' Lionel said. 'Pop Pop is here.'
He also reminisced about the simple joys of bonding with his grandchildren, like blowing on their stomachs to make them smile. 'You know that stage where the leg becomes a drumstick and you just can't keep your mouth off of the little drumstick,' he mused. 'I'm so sorry. But it's that thing where you can just blow on the stomach and the little smile comes on the face.'
Lionel, who is also a grandfather to Nicole Richie and Joel Madden's children Harlow and Sparrow, as well as Sofia's daughter Eloise, 23 months, shared that watching his kids become parents has been fulfilling beyond any career achievement. He joked about Sofia's sleep schedule as a new mom, saying, 'I get to say, "Oh, you're sleeping timetable is off, hm?" As a parent, you have to go for it.'
Sofia, 27, has previously spoken about how motherhood has transformed her, telling Vogue in 2024, 'I've learned more in the past six months than I have in my entire life.' She added that every week brings new challenges and discoveries about the female body.
As the Richie-Grainge family celebrates the arrival of baby Henry, Lionel summed up his feelings with pure joy: 'Watching my grandkids grow up has been better than any trophy.'