Butler came to prominence in the early 1980s as lead vocalist of the rock band the Psychedelic Furs and went on to found the alternative rock band Love Spit Love in the early 1990s, during a hiatus of the Psychedelic Furs.

Richard Lofthouse Butler was born on 5 June 1956 in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London.

In the 1970s, George Butler was slated to become a scientific ambassador to the Soviet Union but a friend convinced him this would not be a good place for his family.

[5] Butler co-wrote "Ghosts Again" with Martin Gore, the first single from the Depeche Mode album Memento Mori, released on February 9, 2023.

[7] In September 2020 Butler married model and actress Erika Anderson known from A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child and Zandalee.

Shortly after graduating from the art school, in 1977, Richard Butler became a founder and singer/songwriter for the British post-punk / new wave band "The Psychedelic Furs".

He has had solo exhibitions in New York City, Miami (Aliona Ortega Fine Art),[9] and Florence, Italy.