Nicole Richie : People.com

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The secret of Nicole Richie's childhood? Her parents' "way of making me happy was to say yes to everything I wanted." Of course. Adopted by singer Lionel Richie, she grew up in privileged L.A. society, where her playmates included hotel heiress Paris Hilton. In 2003, the pair starred in the reality show, The Simple Life. After arrests and problems with drugs, Richie found herself in rehab as the first season aired.

Often accused of being too thin, Richie became a style icon, with endless coverage of her shrinking frame and on-and-off relationships. Richie continued working with Hilton although they famously fell out, but reconciled in 2006 before starring in their show's fifth season. She's dating Hilary Duff's ex, rocker Joel Madden, and she gave birth to their first child, Harlow Winter Kate Madden in January 2008.

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Michael Jackson is Nicole Richie's godfather.
Growing up, Nicole Richie studied cello, violin, piano and figure skating.
Nicole Richie has 10 tattoos: a rosary around her ankle, a tiara on her hip, a cross on her lower back, ballet slippers on her abdomen, the word "virgin" on one wrist, a shooting star on her other wrist, two angel wings on her shoulder blades and "Richie" on the back of her neck.
Nicole Richie's first puppy was a gift from Prince.
Her adoptive father, Lionel Richie, wrote the song "Ballerina Girl" for her in 1986.

circa 1984: Becoming a Richie
Lionel Richie is taken by 3-year-old Nicole, a fixture at his concerts, and gets the approval of her birth parents to let her move in with him and his wife, Brenda. She is officially adopted six years later. "My parents were friends with Lionel," Nicole tells PEOPLE in 2003. "They trusted that they would be better able to provide for me." In 1986, she attends kindergarten at the Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., where she meets fellow classmate Paris Hilton.
2003: February 27
Heroin Bust
Richie, 22, is busted on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance and driving with a revoked license (from a previous DUI arrest). "They found one balloon of heroin. It wasn't on me; it was in the car," she tells PEOPLE. In March, she enters the Sierra Tucson drug rehab center in Arizona.
Richie & Hilton's Simple Life
The fish-out-of-water reality series The Simple Life is originally conceived as a vehicle for Paris and her sister Nicky Hilton. When Nicky bows out, Richie steps in. Ten days after she leaves rehab, Richie heads for the Ledings' farm in Altus, Ark., where she and Hilton are guests of the family and start filming their first season.