If you’re humming along to "Right Here Waiting" while browsing the web today, you might find yourself squinting at the screen and wondering exactly how old is Richard Marx now? It’s a fair question. The guy has been a fixture on the radio since the Reagan administration, yet he’s currently out-touring musicians who weren't even born when he released his first record.
He’s 62.
Specifically, Richard Noel Marx was born on September 16, 1963, in Chicago. This means he’s hitting that sweet spot where he’s officially a "legacy artist," but honestly, he’s busier than most people half his age. He’s not just sitting on a porch in Malibu counting royalty checks from "Hazard" or "Hold On to the Nights." He’s literally about to drop a new album called After Hours on January 16, 2026.
The Numbers Behind the Name
Most people associate Richard Marx with that late-'80s mullet and the soul-piercing ballads that defined high school proms for a decade. But staying relevant for over 40 years requires more than just good hair and a nice vibrato. Marx is one of only two artists—the other being Michael Jackson—to score a #1 single in four different decades. That is a wild statistic when you think about how fast the music industry moves.
He started young. Like, really young.
By the time he was five, Richard was already singing jingles for his dad, Dick Marx, who ran a massive jingle empire in Chicago. While most kids were learning to tie their shoes, he was learning microphone technique.
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- Age 5: Recording commercial jingles.
- Age 17: Discovered by Lionel Richie.
- Age 23: Released his self-titled debut album.
- Age 40: Won a Grammy for Song of the Year with Luther Vandross.
- Age 62: Coaching on The Voice Australia and touring the world.
Why everyone is searching for him right now
You’ve probably seen his name popping up more lately because of the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice movie. Tim Burton used "Right Here Waiting" in the film, and it sent the song’s streaming numbers into the stratosphere. We’re talking over 540 million streams on Spotify alone. It turns out that a good melody is basically immortal.
Also, his personal life keeps people curious. He was married to Dirty Dancing star Cynthia Rhodes for 25 years before they split in 2014. They have three grown sons—Brandon, Lucas, and Jesse—who are all following in the family business of making music. In 2015, he married Daisy Fuentes, the iconic MTV VJ. If you follow them on social media, they’re basically the poster couple for "aging gracefully" while looking like they’re still on a permanent honeymoon.
Breaking Down the Career Longevity
It’s easy to look at how old is Richard Marx and think of him as just a singer. That’s a mistake. He’s a songwriter first.
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Think about the song "This I Promise You" by *NSYNC. That was Marx. Or "Dance With My Father" by Luther Vandross? Marx co-wrote that too. He has written 14 number-one hits across pop, rock, country, and R&B. He even wrote "Long Hot Summer" for Keith Urban.
His latest project, After Hours, is a bit of a departure. It’s a live-in-the-room record featuring a 24-piece orchestra. He’s doing the Great American Songbook style, covering classics and writing new ones that sound like they belong in 1948. He recorded the whole thing live—no studio "patchwork" or Auto-Tune fixes. That takes a level of vocal confidence you only get after four decades on stage.
"I never seriously considered doing a standards or covers album before... the challenge of writing songs as if I were pitching them to Frank Sinatra in 1948 really appealed to me." — Richard Marx, 2025.
What’s next for the "King of Ballads"?
In April 2026, he’s heading back to Australia for a massive five-city tour. He’s been spending a lot of time down there recently as a coach on The Voice Australia alongside Melanie C and Ronan Keating. It’s kind of funny to see him as the "elder statesman" mentor when he still sounds exactly like he did in 1987.
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If you’re looking for actionable ways to dive back into his world, here is what you should do:
- Check out his podcast/YouTube series: It's called Stories to Tell. He basically sits at his home bar, makes cocktails, and chats with people like Paul Stanley from KISS and Katie Couric. It’s very unfiltered and way more interesting than a standard celebrity interview.
- Listen to the new single: "Big Band Boogie" features Kenny G. It's a weird combo on paper, but it actually works if you’re into that swing/jazz vibe.
- Read the book: His memoir, also titled Stories to Tell, is surprisingly funny. He’s known for being pretty snarky and self-deprecating on Twitter (X), and that voice really comes through in the writing.
Richard Marx isn't just "old." He's a survivor of an industry that usually chews people up and spits them out by 30. Whether you love the ballads or find them cheesy, you have to respect the hustle. He’s still writing, still singing, and still hitting those high notes at 62.
To keep up with his 2026 tour schedule or to pre-order the new record, the best move is to head straight to his official site or follow his Instagram, where he and Daisy are constantly posting updates from the road.