Real Name: Richard Noel Marx
Date of Birth / Formation: September 16, 1963
Age / Status: 62 years old
Origin: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Lead / Key Member: Richard Marx — singer-songwriter, pianist and multi-instrumentalist; principal creative force.
Active Period: 1970s (jingles) — present; breakout and peak commercial success in the late 1980s.
Primary Styles: Melodic pop-rock and adult contemporary balladry.
Notable Achievement: First male artist whose first seven singles reached the Billboard Hot 100 top five.
Richard Marx is an American singer-songwriter and musician who became one of the most successful solo artists of the late 1980s. He achieved an unprecedented feat by having his first seven singles reach the top five on the Billboard Hot 100, including the number-one hits 'Hold On to the Nights', 'Satisfied', and the global ballad 'Right Here Waiting'. Known for his melodic rock and adult contemporary sound, Marx has sold over 30 million records worldwide. He is also a highly successful songwriter and producer for many other legendary artists. Marx has won a Grammy Award and remains a prominent figure in the music industry, celebrated for his exceptional songwriting talent and enduring hits that defined the late 80s pop-rock landscape.
Raised in Chicago by a professional musician and jingle-writer father, Marx began singing commercial jingles as a child. A demo tape reached Lionel Richie, prompting opportunities in Los Angeles that led to songwriting, session work and industry connections that launched his recording career. [1]
Marx's self-titled debut (1987) went multi-platinum and produced several top-five singles. He consolidated stardom with 1989's Repeat Offender, a No. 1 U.S. album that yielded the global ballad "Right Here Waiting" and multiple Hot 100 chart-toppers. [1]
Chart summary: The Official Charts history for Richard Marx shows no Number 1 release on the main UK Singles or Albums Chart.
Co-wrote "What About Me?", which became a charting adult-contemporary hit for other artists and marked Marx's early success as a songwriter. [1]
Richard Marx's self-titled debut album was released, eventually going triple-platinum and producing multiple top-five Hot 100 singles. [1]
"Don't Mean Nothing" peaked in the U.S. top five and established Marx on rock and pop radio as a new solo artist. [1]
"Hold On to the Nights" became Marx's first U.S. No. 1 single, extending his run of high-charting early singles. [1]
Repeat Offender reached No. 1 on the U.S. album chart; singles "Satisfied" and "Right Here Waiting" became worldwide hits and No. 1s in the U.S. [1]
Marx performed the Beatles' "Help" at the Berlin Wall, a high-profile appearance at the close of the decade. [1]
A concise 1980s snapshot paired with a source-linked status update checked on 17 July 2026.
The profile’s own 1980s timeline captures Richard Marx’s era-defining momentum. These late-decade milestones anchor the period in the original profile.
No death date listed. Wikidata does not list a death date for Richard Marx. MusicBrainz lists After Hours (16 January 2026) as the newest catalogued album linked to Richard Marx. The catalogue note is used as a documented update, rather than a claim about touring or an unverified 2026 project.
No short interview quotation was included because an exact, attributable public transcript could not be verified for this profile.
Selected songs and brief annotations (themes and chart context).
Lyrics note: Full copyrighted lyrics are not reproduced. The notes below are original summaries of each song’s themes and imagery.
Lyric theme: A spare, piano-led international ballad about longing and steady devotion at a distance.
Lyric theme: An intimate adult-contemporary ballad about holding onto a defining romantic moment and its fragility.
Lyric theme: A polished pop-rock track reflecting on ambition, relationships and the costs of success.
Lyric theme: An upbeat rock-leaning single warning about the pitfalls and hollow promises of the music business.
Lyric theme: A nostalgic mid-tempo soft-rock song about a brief, sunlit romance and its lingering memories.