Nicole Richie is the adopted daughter of Lionel Richie, the star of the 2003-2007 TV show The Simple Life and Fashion Star. She is a fashionista in her own right and mother to two adorable children. Here are 50 interesting facts about Nicole Richie.
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Nicole Richie was born in Berkeley, California on September 21, 1981.
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Her full name is Nicole Camille Escovedo, but later changed her last name to Richie.
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Her biological father is Peter Michael Escovedo, a musician who briefly played with Lionel Richie, and her biological mother Karen was the executive assistant for Nicole's aunt, Sheila E.
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She is one-quarter African American, and one-quarter Mexican.
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Her mom, Brenda Harvey Richie, was married to her dad Lionel Richie when they took Nicole in at the age of 3 after her birth parents couldn't care for her. Brenda & Lionel legally adopted her when she was 9.
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Growing up, she was trained in cello, violin, piano, and figure skating.
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In 1986, Richie started kindergarten at The Buckley School, in Sherman Oaks, California, where she met Paris Hilton. Richie graduated from Montclair College Preparatory School in 1999.
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Michael Jackson is her godfather.
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Nicole Richie's first puppy was a gift from Prince.
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Is the niece of Sheila E., a talented pop percussionist and drummer of 1980s.
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Lionel Richie composed the song "Ballerina Girl" for her.
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As a teenager, Richie began partying hard and experimenting with drugs and alcohol.
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She studied Arts and Media for two years at the University of Arizona before dropping out and returning to California.
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Richie was busted in February 2003 when police found heroin in her Mercedes-Benz. She plead guilty to all charges and was sentenced to probation and ordered to attend the Sierra Tucson drug rehab center in Arizona.
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She was close friends with Aaliyah before she passed away.
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Nicole along with her childhood friend, Paris Hilton became popular figures, thanks to their stint on the TV show 'The Simple Life'.
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The reality show ran for over 5 seasons and Nicole Richie along with her friend Paris Hilton lived with a rural family for a month.
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Richie continued working with Hilton through their very public falling out, but reconciled in 2006 before starring in their show's fifth season.
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Nicole Richie's first serious relationship happened when she started dating popular Disc Jockey Adam Goldstein somewhere between 2003 and 2005.
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In February of 2005, Richie and boyfriend Adam Goldstein, better known as club disc-jockey DJ AM, became engaged. They split ten months later.
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Deejay Adam Goldstein gave Richie a pink sapphire ring while they were engaged.
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Richie has also written a semi-autobiographical novel titled 'The Truth About Diamonds' while guest starring in a number of popular TV series.
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Richie was arrested on December 11th, 2006, after she drove her black Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle the wrong way on a freeway in Burbank, California. She reportedly told authorities she had smoked marijuana and taken the prescription painkiller Vicodin. Richie pleaded guilty in July to a misdemeanor charge, avoiding a potential year in jail because it was only a second DUI conviction.
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Richie was also briefly linked to childhood friend Brody Jenner of MTV's The Hills.
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In 2005, Richie made her acting debut in the comedic drama Kids in America.
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She then went on to make several guest appearances in television series, including Eve (2003), Six Feet Under (2001) and American Dreams (2002), 8 Simple Rules (2002) and Chuck (2007).
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One of her favorite foods is sushi.
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In 2008, Richie launched her own jewelry line, House of Harlow 1960. Some of her celebrity clients include Ashlee Simpson and Madonna.
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She launched Winter Kate in spring 2010 and it has blossomed into a popular high-end fashion line.
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She has become an influential force in the fashion world. Richie shared her design insights on the reality competition Fashion Star in 2012.
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Richie began dating guitarist Joel Madden of the band Good Charlotte in 2006.
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On July 31, 2007, Richie announced that she and Madden would be having their first child together.
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She gave birth to daughter Harlow Winter Kate Madden on Jan. 11, 2008, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
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In January 2008, she and Joel Madden sold the first pictures of their newborn daughter, Harlow, for $1,000,000.
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The couple welcomed their second child, son Sparrow James Midnight Madden, on September 9, 2009.
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Around this time, Richie became engaged to Madden. The pair tied the knot on December 11, 2010, at the estate of Richie's father.
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Richie's second novel, Priceless, was released on September 28, 2010. It tells the story of a girl who loses everything and then learns about what really matters in life.
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She launched a collection for Macy's Impulse line in September 2012, which was sold in 100 Macy's stores as well as online.
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In September 2013, Richie made a cameo appearance in Christina Aguilera's music video for the song "Let There Be Love".
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In November 2007, Richie and Joel Madden created "The Richie Madden Children's Foundation". Richie, Joel and Benji Madden along with UNICEF held a fundraiser for the Tap Project in March 2009. They sold 143 water pumps to bring water directly to the villages and raised $100,000.
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The Richie-Madden Foundation specially designed "Cup with a Cause" for 7-Eleven. It was a part of their charity-focused coffee campaign in February 2010.
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Has the tattoo of a ballerina, a tiara, a Rosary, a cross, a bow with the name "Richie" below it, a shooting star on her left wrist and the word "virgin" on her right one, plus the tattoo of one wing on each side of her shoulder blade.
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Richie has been a member of a fledgling rock band called "Darling" along with Josie Maran, and society sisters named Soleil Alberti and Sofia Alberti.
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She has a dog, Foxy Cleopatra the Dog, named after Beyonce Knowles's character in Austin Powers in Goldmember.
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Nicole Richie is 5' 1" tall.
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Her net worth is $5 million.
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Her favorite color is orange.
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She was hospitalized with pneumonia at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in 2009.
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Nicole has an exotic Bengal cat named Chi-Chi-Cheeta.
- She is close friends with actress Mischa Barton.