Lionel Richie Apologizes After Crying During Arthur Gunn's Moving 'American Idol' Solo

From Good Housekeeping

• American Idol season 3 (18th overall)'s Hollywood Week is officially here.

• Contestant Arthur Gunn performed Creedence Clearwater Revival's hit “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” from his first audition.

• American Idol judge Lionel Richie cried during the performance and fans shared that they had the same reaction.

Since day one, Dibesh Pokharel, known professionally as Arthur Gunn, has blown away American Idol judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Katy Perry. But last night’s performance was particularly emotional for Lionel and unexpectedly moved him to tears.

In honor of Hollywood Week, the 21-year-old from Kathmandu, Nepal chose to once again perform his audition song, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Although he had hopes of creating a different vibe this time with a new arrangement and key, his plan didn’t come to fruition. But in the end, Arthur didn’t need it.

Walking on stage with only his acoustic guitar, the Kansas-based artist belted out a bluesy solo of the 1971 rock single. Within seconds, Arthur got a “wow” from Katy while Lionel commented, “I’m just loving this.” After giving him a standing ovation, Lionel faced his fellow judges and apologized for getting choked up.

“Well, that makes me cry,” he said, wiping away tears. “I’m sorry, I just broke up there. I’m sorry.”

AI fans immediately shared that the “Hello” singer wasn’t alone. “Just like Lionel, I get emotional when I hear Arthur … He's going to be a superstar,” one person wrote on YouTube. “The way Lionel looks at him and recognizes what extraordinary talent is he. We respect Lionel. Lionel respects [his] talents,” another added. “Totally AMAZING! I cried with you!” a different fan said on Twitter.

Lionel has been a huge supporter of Arthur since the audition round of Idol this year. When they first met, the legendary musician hugged Arthur and shared a sweet message with him.

“I want you to understand something. This is me talking to you,” the judge said. “You have no idea what this journey is going to do for you. God bless you. You are the story that we need to tell, and welcome to the world, my friend.”

If that isn’t a special connection, we don’t know what is.

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