Despite being a chart-topping heartthrob in the wildest era of rock ‘n’ roll excess, singer Richard Marx claims he never gave in to the endless stream of groupies vying for his attention during the height of his fame in the 1980s and ’90s.
In an exclusive interview with Page Six, the Grammy-winning heartthrob of hits like “Right Here Waiting” admitted he had his share of attention, but added, “Of course I had groupies, but that wasn’t really much of a trapping for me back then.”
According to Marx, he had two reasons for steering clear of obsessed fans and their wild temptations.
“I was already dating the woman who would become my first wife,” he said of his first wife, “Dirty Dancing” star, Cynthia Rhodes. “And we were together for almost 30 years.”
Marx also said he did not want to be “a douchebag,” and credited his modest high school dating experience for keeping him on the straight and narrow.
“It was a little easier for me to resist because I had this sense of, I was still the guy in high school who couldn’t get a date,” Marx said. “And then all of a sudden, overnight, I have a big video on MTV and now all these girls are throwing themselves at me.”
Instead of being flattered, Marx said he viewed the attention with skepticism.
“They were the same girls that didn’t look twice at me two weeks ago,” he recalled.
According to Marx, the perspective kept him honest. “I think it helped keep a level head on my shoulder and a pretty good relationship with that whole seduction of thinking that you’re something you’re not.”
Marx and Rhodes, who share three sons, eventually divorced in 2014. He married TV personality and former MTV VJ Daisy Fuentes the following year.
“I still kind of look across the room at her, or look at her in the car next to me, and I kind of can’t believe it,” he said of Fuentes. “I had a crush on her … You know, every once in a while, I just say to myself, I can’t believe I’m married to Daisy Fuentes. It’s like crazy.”
With a career spanning over four decades, Marx has released 14 No. 1 singles and written for a wide range of artists including “*NSYNC,” Luther Vandross, Kenny Rogers, Barbra Streisand and Ringo Starr.
Marx is set to make his debut at New York’s Café Carlyle with a run titled “After Hours: Confessions at Café Carlyle,” scheduled from Oct. 21–25. The performance will feature many of his signature songs.
He also recently released a new single, “Magic Hour,” co-written with Fuentes and featuring longtime friend John Stamos on congas.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.silive.com ’
