Nicole Richie

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.

Faking It

At 14, Richie uses fake IDs to sneak into clubs, honing her party-girl reputation. A few years later, she says to PEOPLE, "I experimented with drugs," and at 21, "I dabbled in heroin." After her 1998 graduation from Montclair Prep, Richie decides to leave Hollywood behind to be a coed at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She studies arts and media, but drops out two years later, returning to L.A.

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.

June 16

On the Road Again

Richie and Hilton climb into a Winnebago on a trip for The Simple Life season two. "I've never been in a Winnebago before," Richie tells PEOPLE. "I've heard they're supposed to be spacey. I'm most concerned about the safety. I pray to God that Paris and I both take lessons to learn how to drive it before they just stick us in." The following fall, a Greyhound bus takes Richie and Hilton on their next adventure for the next season in The Simple Life: Interns. The twosome takes on various office jobs, staying with a different family at each spot, including Staten Island, N.Y., and Bayonne, N.J.

March 10

Drifting Apart

Although they've been friends since they met at the Buckley School and have spent three seasons learning how the other half lives on The Simple Life, Richie and Hilton seem to be drifting apart. "Nicole has grown up a lot," a source tells PEOPLE, "and Paris is still being Paris." Richie is engaged, has quit smoking and drinking and only wears jewelry on one of her body piercings (out of six). "I will go to some parties and stuff, but I really just don't have time," she tells PEOPLE. With an album and two books in the works, "I have so much on my plate," she says.

April

It's Over

Hilton lobbies to get her pal Kimberly Stewart, daughter of Rod Stewart, to replace Richie on The Simple Life. "Nicole and I have been best friends since we were babies, and I love her," Hilton says to PEOPLE, "but I want to do what's best for the show." Ultimately, FOX sticks with Richie. That fall, Richie and Hilton, no longer on speaking terms, start shooting The Simple Life 4 separately. The feuding stars avoid each other both on and off camera.

November

The Write Stuff

Richie's autobiographical novel, The Truth About Diamonds, hits bookstores. Although it's based in part on her life, Richie tells PEOPLE, "It's more exciting if you make things up."