Tonight is about legacy not just the Grammys and multi-platinum hits which made Richie's name, but the way that songs such as Truly and the Commodores' Three Times a Lady have become intertwined with people's lives.
It is a brutalizing thing to age as a pop star. For Britney Spears, it meant a public mental-health crisis, and for Katy Perry, it seems to mean an increasingly awkward relationship with her fans.