The Untold Truth Of Richard Marx

Richard Noel Marx, born September 16, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois, developed an interest in music at a young age. His father, Dick, was a vocal coach, composer, musician, and a jingle artist. His mother, Ruth, was a talented singer. As reported by The Famous People, Marx's career began when he was 5 years old and given the opportunity to sing the jingles his father composed.

Marx's parents also encouraged him to learn to play the guitar and piano. Inspired by a number of singers and musicians, including Sam Cooke and Elvis Presley, he started writing and performing his own music as a teen, reports All Music. When Marx was just 17, a tape of his music made its way to Lionel Richie, who was impressed with the teen's obvious talent. The Famous People reports Richie contacted Marx and asked him to move to Los Angeles..

Following his graduation from North Shore Country Day School in 1980, Marx moved to California and began working as a backup vocalist on Lionel Richie's album "Can't Slow Down." His work on the album caught the attention of several other artists, including Madonna, Luther Vandross, and Whitney Houston, who also hired him as a backup vocalist. In addition, Marx began building a reputation as a talented songwriter. According to All Music, Marx wrote a song for the soundtrack of the film "St. Elmo's Fire" before the age of 23.

In 1987, Richard Marx released his self-titled debut album. As reported by The Famous People, the album had four hit singles, including, "Endless Summer Nights," "Hold On to the Nights," and "Should've Known Better." Two years later, his second album, "Repeat Offender," made it to number one on the United States charts and eventually went quadruple-platinum. The album contained the hit singles "Right here Waiting" and "Satisfied."

Throughout his career, Discogs reports, Marx released 21 albums, 58 singles and EPs, and 23 compilations. He had 14 songs that reached the top 10 on Billboard's adult contemporary chart and four number one hits on Billboard's adult contemporary chart. According to IMDb, Marx has been credited as a composer in 21 films, television shows, and music videos. He has also been recognized for working on the soundtracks of 73 films, television shows, and music videos. 

Between 1986 and 1990, Marx was nominated for four Grammy Awards. IMDb reports Marx, along with Ross Vannelli, won the 1990 ASCAP Award for Most Performed Song from Motion Pictures for the song "Surrender to Me," which was featured in the film "Tequila Sunrise." In 2004, he, along with Luther Vandross, won the Grammy for Song of the Year for their song "Dance With My Father." In addition to appearing in the 2014 film "Back in the Day," and the 2017 television series "Life in Pieces," Marx also provided his voice for a 2021 episode of "Family Guy."

In January 1989, Richard Marx married Cynthia Rhodes, who was a talented actress, dancer, and singer. According to Richard Marx Online, the couple had three sons together: Brandon, Jesse, and Lucas. Closer Weekly reports the couple divorced in 2014 and Marx married actress, model, and television host Daisy Fuentes (above) on December 23, 2015.

Fuentes, who was born in Cuba, has appeared on several television shows, including "Baywatch," "Cybill," and "The Brothers Garcia." She has also hosted a number of programs, including "America's Funniest Home Videos," "Home & Family," and "House of Style." However, as reported by BestLife, she is perhaps best known as one of MTV's most popular VJs.

In an August 2021 interview with Closer Weekly, Marx admitted he was unsure about getting married again after ending a 25-year marriage. However, he eventually realized that he "really wanted [Fuentes] to be ... family." Six years later, Marx said, "What I have found is that every day, I fall more in love with her. At our age, this level of crazy in love with each other is so fun." Marx said the secret to their strong bond is sharing common interests, which include exercising and spending time outdoors. He said he and Fuentes "don't spend much time at all in front of a screen watching movies or TV." Instead, they prefer to "talk, interact, and love each other."

In addition to being a successful musician, Richard Marx is a generous philanthropist, who supports a number of different charitable organizations. As reported by SongFacts, one of the first organizations he sought to support was the Children of the Night foundation, which provides assistance to children and teens who are victims of sex trafficking.

Marx said he learned about the foundation while watching an episode of "60 Minutes." The next day, he asked his manager to contact Dr. Lois Lee, who founded Children of the Night, to see if there was any way he could help. After meeting Lee, and several children the organization has helped, Marx was inspired to write a song titled "Children of the Night."

SongFacts reports several of the children he met were hired as backup vocalists for the song, and proceeds from the song, which was on the "Repeat Offender" album, helped fund the Children of the Night home in Van Nuys, California, which provides safe housing for children and teens who were victims of sex trafficking.

According to RichardMarx.com, Marx is also a strong supporter of the American Cancer Society, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. The Famous People reports Marx has also worked with the Make a Wish Foundation and the Grammy in the Schools program, which encourages teens to explore their artistic talents.

Although he is known for his generosity, Richard Marx's life has not been without controversy. In 2018, Marx posted a message on Twitter in which he criticized British television personality Piers Morgan for his conduct during an interview with then-President Donald Trump. As reported by The Wrap, Morgan questioned Trump about sharing an anti-Muslim video via his Twitter account. In response, Trump said he knew "nothing about" the extremist group who produced the video.

After listening to the interview, The Wrap reports Marx posted a tweet saying Morgan was "too cowardly to call out the recklessness of [Trump's] actions." Morgan responded to Marx in another tweet, in which he called the singer a "ludicrous little twerp." Marx then said, "Anyone with a single working brain cell knows you have the integrity of a used car salesman ... " Morgan went on to criticize Marx's music career.

Marx has never been shy in expressing his disdain for Trump. In a 2020 interview with Variety, he said he would "rather have Jeffrey Dahmer" as president of the United States "over Donald Trump." Marx said Trump "is a despicable piece of trash" who will "leave a stain on this country for the next generation."

In 2021, Kentucky senator Rand Paul received a suspicious package at his home, which he perceived as a threat. As reported by Politico, Paul blamed Marx for the incident, saying the singer "called for violence" against him via social media.

A few years before receiving the package, Rand Paul was physically assaulted by one of his neighbors. As reported by Politico, Richard Marx posted a tweet, stating, "If I ever meet Rand Paul's neighbor I'm going to hug him and buy him as many drinks as he can consume." Paul believes that tweet inspired someone to send the suspicious package, which included a note stating, "I'll finish what your neighbor started ... "

Marx has also faced illness, which left him believing he "was going to die." In a June 2021 interview with People, Marx revealed he came down with an unusual illness twice within 13 months. Marx said he initially began experiencing symptoms including chills, a fever, and seizures, in October 2019. The acclaimed singer said the symptoms lasted several weeks, and "the violence of the seizures alone was terrifying." Although doctors conducted a variety of tests, including bloodwork and full-body MRIs, People reports they could not determine what was causing the debilitating symptoms.

Although the symptoms eventually went away, Marx said they returned in November 2020 for several more weeks. His doctors ruled out a variety of possible conditions, including COVID. However, they never determined what caused the mysterious illness. Marx is mystified that he never got an explanation for the illness. However, as reported by People, he has fully recovered, and said he has a "new appreciation for life" and Fuentes, who supported him throughout the ordeal.