Celebrity Encounter: Lionel Ritchie
Several years ago on one of my many trips to Jamaica, I was on an Air Jamaica flight from JFK to Montego Bay for the summer music fest. International singer, Lionel Ritchie who was slated to headline the show was on that flight seated in first class.
Everyone was excited when he walked through the main cabin to say hello. Ironically, that was the song that was playing over and over in my head.
“Hello, is it me you’re looking for…?”
So I said hello and repeated that line from the song. He laughed and invited me up front where we had a brief conversation on his music and his visit to Jamaica. Now that would have been an exclusive if only I were a journalist then.
I cherished my moment with him and enjoyed his concert at the festival in Jamaica.
The most memorable of his performance was when a group of us in the VIP section tossed an unused underwear on stage. He was stunned. He stepped back, looked at us and shook his head, said, “Ah right ” then continued his performance.
