Marc Anthony will sing in honor of Lionel Richie

[March 31, 2012]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Long before he became a salsa sensation, Marc Anthony listened to the likes of Lionel Richie. Now he'll honor the pop legend as part of the Academy of Country Music's tribute to Richie next week.

This week, Richie released a collection of his classics performed with top country acts, and is set to appear at Sunday's ACM Awards. The next day, he'll be feted at an all-star concert.

Anthony is scheduled to perform Richie's song "Endless Love" with Sara Evans during the CBS special, which will air April 13 at 9 pm EDT. In a statement released Friday, Anthony said Richie was "one of the soundtracks of my life growing up." He also called Richie an icon and said he was honored to be a part of the tribute.

[Associated Press; By SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS]

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