Lionel Richie thought 'Brick House' was disgraceful until it was a hit

Lionel Richie is getting candid like never before.

In an interview with "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts, which aired Thursday, the legendary singer-songwriter opened up about deeply personal moments from his life story featured in his new memoir, "Truly."

Sharing a story he said he has never spoken aloud until now, Richie revealed that he "grew up totally in fear."

Raised in Tuskegee, Alabama, Richie recalled feeling anxious and uncertain as a child.

"I didn't know what ADHD was. 'Can you play baseball?' 'Eh.' 'Football?' 'No.' 'Basketball?' 'No.' 'Tennis?' 'Kinda,'" he said. "You know, it was just everything was 'kinda.' I was very anxious about everything. And at the same time, I kept tryin' to fake it. I kind of found some new areas of my life that I didn't know I had in me."

Music eventually became his refuge. Despite a grandmother who was classically trained in piano, Richie admits he can't read music.

"Listen, I don't know, and I've asked God that several times," he said with a laugh. "And it was said to me by Marvin Gaye, 'There is an answer to this. Don't go lookin' for it. Just accept it.'"

That acceptance paved the way for one of the most celebrated careers in pop music history.