Lionel Richie made a candid confession about his health as he took to the stage at London’s O2 Arena on Friday. 

The iconic 80s hitmaker, 75, is an Academy Award, Grammy and Golden Globe winning singer-songwriter and a judge on American Idol. 

Lionel announced last year that he would be heading to the UK with his Say Hello To The Hits tour, playing dates in Glasgow, Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester and London’s O2.

And kicking off his first of two London dates on Friday, Lionel made a confession to the adoring audience. 

‘When you see me jumping and running, sliding, running up stairs, running down stairs, I want you all to know one thing: I’m in pain,’ he told fans, The Telegraph reported.

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Lionel Richie made a candid confession about his health as he took to the stage at London’s O2 Arena on Friday (Seen on Friday)

Lionel announced last year that he would be heading to the UK with his Say Hello To The Hits tour, playing dates in Glasgow, Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester and London’s O2 (Seen on Friday)

Lionel has sold over 125 million records worldwide, producing unforgettable anthems like Hello, All Night Long, Say You Say Me, We Are The World, Easy and many more.

Lucky fans who had tickets his London gig raved about the star’s incredible performance. 

Commenting on his Instagram, they wrote: ‘You were fabulous, Lionel! It was a spectacular night,’;

‘Fantastic night, loved every minute❤️,’; ‘One off my bucket list. That voice melts my heart ❤️,’;

‘You were – and are! – INCREDIBLE! What a show. Second time of seeing you live and you are such a joy to watch. I could do it all again! It was my birthday treat for tomorrow – and what a treat it was! ❤️❤️❤️❤️,’;

‘You were brilliant. We loved every second and didn’t want it to end ❤️❤️❤️,’; ‘Even better than 20 something years ago,’;

‘It was absolutely a night to remember. You’re the GOAT! I can’t wait for the next one. I’m still pumped from tonight,’;

‘You were everything we hoped for and more #legend thank you,’; ‘What an amazing night. You are TRULY AMAZING please come back again soon ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️.’

And kicking off his first of two London dates on Friday, Lionel made a confession to the adoring audience (Seen on Friday)

‘When you see me jumping and running, sliding, running up stairs, running down stairs, I want you all to know one thing: I’m in pain,’ he told fans, The Telegraph reported (Seen on Friday)

Lucky fans who had tickets his London gig raved about the star’s incredible performance on Instagram 

Amid his resurgence, Lionel has penned a tell-all memoir about his legendary nearly six-decade-long career, which is set for a September release.

The memoir, titled Truly, will be an ‘intimate, deeply candid memoir,’ according to its publisher HarperOne.

The Endless Love singer ‘seeks to inspire all who doubt themselves or feel their dreams don’t matter by chronicling lessons learned in the course of his most unlikely of success stories,’ a press release stated.

Richie went ‘from a painfully shy, tragically late bloomer grappling with ADHD to his dramatic transformation into a world-class entertainer and composer of love songs that have played like the soundtrack of our lives.’

Lionel is also the father to daughters Nicole and Sofia Richie. 

Richie explained that he considers himself ‘the reluctant hero of my own story,’ per People.

The memoir will begin when Richie was a college student at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama at the height of the civil rights movement, then explores his time as a member of The Commodores before taking a look at the superstardom that came his way as a solo artist in the 1980s.

‘I travel the world, and all people really want to hear is, “I love you,”‘ Richie said in a statement.

The memoir titled Truly ‘will be an “intimate, deeply candid memoir,’ according to its publisher HarperOne. (Seen in October)

‘I love you is forever. And the day we realize we come as different tribes, but we all represent the global family of mankind … the day that happens, we will clearly be united, together, as one.’

‘Lionel Richie is not only a music legend who has long been a multicultural and generational bridge, he has witnessed monumental shifts in history and entertainment while working with some of the most significant talents of our age,’ Judith Curr, president and publisher of HarperOne Group, said.

She added, ‘We are thrilled to not only be providing his fans and friends with a nuanced, detailed, emotional telling of what his life has held, but his view of the world — what has changed and what has remained the same, the difficulties and the causes for celebration.’

The Lady hitmaker will detail what he calls his ‘darkest period’ – his father’s death, two bitter divorces and an injury to his vocal chords that nearly stripped him of his voice. 

He also write about how the changes in the music industry challenged him, which ultimately led him to become a judge on American Idol.

‘Richie will share how he lived to tell this story – and through divine intervention, soon took off to higher heights, with one of the greatest rejuvenation stories ever told,” the publisher said.

Richie’s memoir will be released on September 30, 2025 and is available for pre-sale now.