Nicole Richie Biography, Photos, Pictures

Nicole Richie is an actress and model famous for her appearance in the reality TV show The Simple Life. Her private life has also frequently made headlines-- she has done drugs, crashed several cars, fought with her famous friends, and allegedly struggled with anorexia. Now Richie is trying to break into the music industry.Nicole Richie was born on September 21, 1981. Her mother was a backstage assistant to singer Lionel Richie and her father is believed to have been jazz musician Pete Escovedo, brother of the drummer Sheila E. who worked with Prince, though Richie has denied this. Lionel Richie and his wife Brenda Harvey-Richie began looking after the child when she was three and formally adopted her six years later. Her godfather is Michael Jackson, whom she publicly defended after he was accused of child molestation.A year after Richie's adoption, her new parents split up. She was then allowed to run free. She took cannabis, cocaine, and heroin and became a drug addict. Despite three arrests, she didn't get medical help for her addiction until 2003. In the meantime, she became famous for her wild lifestyle. She was involved in five car accidents and caused a scandal by swearing at the Billboard Music Awards, racking up what was then an unprecedented number of complaints.Despite her frantic social life, Richie did find time to get something of an education. She studied violin, piano, and cello and also took an interest in figure skating. At the Buckley School in Los Angeles she met and befriended the heiress Paris Hilton. She attended the University of Arizona for two years before dropping out to return to Hollywood.In 2003, Richie was recruited to star alongside Paris Hilton in The Simple Life after Hilton's sister Nicky refused to participate. The show saw the girls living with a farming family in rural Altus, Arkansas, and later traveling across the United States. It was a great success, but began to crumble after Richie and Hilton began fighting amid allegations that Richie had shown Hilton's famous sex tape at a party. Richie remained close friends with Nicky Hilton.In the aftermath of The Simple Life, Richie appeared on episodes of Eve, Punk'd, Rock Me Baby, and MADtv. She subsequently branched out into films, starring in Kids in America with Gregory Smith and Stephanie Sherrin. When engaged to DJ Adam Goldstein, also known as DJ AM, Richie made plans for a reality TV show along the lines of that which had recently starred newlywedsNick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, but the marriage plans fell through and Richie later said that she didn't want the media involved in her personal life. She and Goldstein continued to see each other on and off until 2006. She has also been romantically linked to music producer Brad Salyn and rapper Busta Rhymes. Kevin Smith, the writer and director of Clerks, claimed that she had engaged in drunken sex in a toilet stall with actor Jason Mewes, but she has denied this. She also dated Cher's son Elijah Blue Allman. She is currently said to be dating Hilary Duff's ex-boyfriend, Joel Madden of Good Charlotte.Richie also found fame through her modelling work, promoting Bongo Jeans and the designs of Jimmy Choo. She planned to promote green M Ms but was dropped in favor of Pamela Anderson due to media speculation that she was anorexic, though she denied this, protesting that she has always been naturally thin. She later appeared in an advertising campaign for Diet Dr. Pepper.Richie's own perspective on her life can be gauged from her semi-autobiographical novel The Truth About Diamonds. She has also said publicly that she feels she is only now starting to pull herself together, as she plans to launch her debut album.In December of 2006, Richie was arrested for allegedly driving the wrong way on an exit ramp while under the influence of drugs.