Say you, say me, say what?! Lionel Richie was the deserving recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 BET Awards, broadcast live on Sunday, June 29—but the network got "stuck on" the spelling of the R&B crooner's surname. As the "Hello" singer, 65, accepted his honor onstage, his name was spelled "Ritchie." (Perhaps producers were thinking of another "Ritchie": Unlike Lionel and his also-famous daughter Nicole, British director and Madonna ex Guy Ritchie has a T in his last name.)
Seemingly unaware of the snafu, Richie basked in the glow of his honor and the bevy of artists covering his classics. After an intro by Pharrell Williams, John Legend, Ledisi and Yolanda Adams all sang versions of hits by Richie as well as the group that launched him, The Commodores.
"That was absolutely amazing," Richie gushed. "Everyone did a great job. These are all the songs that they told me would ruin my career."
Richie continued in his acceptance speech: "Soul is a feeling, not a color. Talent is a God-given gift and not a category. And out of the box, out of the box is that magical place where talent—true talent—goes to live and thrive and breathe. And may you never give that up as long as you're in this business."
