From the Grammy Awards (four) to the No. 1 pop-R&B hits (16) to the Academy Awards (1) to the number of albums sold (more than 125 million worldwide), his resume brims with staggering statistics.

That legacy earned its celebration on Wednesday when Richie, 72, was feted as the 2022 recipient of the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. A lustrous cast of friends – Gloria Estefan, Boyz II Men, Chris Stapleton, Richie’s “American Idol” mate Luke Bryan and gregarious host Anthony Anderson among them – paid tribute to the singer/songwriter’s melodious catalog of solo work and Commodores classics at a brisk, joyful concert at DAR Constitution Hall.

The show airs on PBS May 17.

Richie was clearly humbled and appreciative of the honor and the peers who saluted him. He leapt to his feet as Estefan opened the night with a spirited “Dancing on the Ceiling”; bowed back at Stapleton, who tipped his cowboy hat toward Richie after a booming-yet-tender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “Say You, Say Me”; and leaned down from the dais where he perched with girlfriend Lisa Parigi in an attempt to hug Bryan after the country superstar’s impassioned take on “Lady."