He's the third act to debut at No. 1 this year, after Tool and The Raconteurs.
Lionel Richie debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated Aug. 31) to become the top musical act in the U.S. for the first time since the list's launch in 2014.
He reigns thanks to the chart start of his new live album, Hello From Las Vegas, which arrives at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 65,000 equivalent album units, according to Nielsen Music.
The set earns Richie his sixth solo top 10 on the Billboard 200 and first since 2012's Tuskegee, which spent two weeks at No. 1.