Lionel Richie was hospitalized in St. Louis, Missouri, after becoming ill following a Saturday night performance in the city.
The 77-year-old music icon checked himself into a local medical facility after taking the stage at The Muny in Forest Park, where he underwent testing and received treatment in the intensive care unit, according to TMZ.
As of Monday afternoon, Richie remained hospitalized, though he is expected to be discharged on Tuesday, the outlet reported.
Sources told the site that Richie sought medical attention as a precaution, with doctors reportedly looking into whether dehydration may have played a role in his condition.
Our News Outlet has contacted Richie’s representative for comment but has not yet received a response.
The hospitalization comes about two months after Richie sparked concern among fans when illness forced him to end a concert early in St. Paul, Minnesota, after he became unwell on stage.
Lionel Richie, 77, was hospitalized in St. Louis, Missouri, after falling ill following a Saturday night performance; pictured July 1 in Detroit, Michigan
The singer reportedly checked himself into the hospital for testing after his show and was treated in the ICU; pictured in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on May 15
Richie remains in the hospital as of Monday afternoon and is expected to be released on Tuesday, according to the site; pictured in Spain in August 2025
Concert attendees told TMZ that Richie appeared to be having difficulty at the end of his concert in St. Louis.
During his show-closing performance of his iconic hit All Night Long, Richie had to ask for a chair to be brought out so that he could sit down while singing.
The incident was reminiscent of the health scare Richie suffered at his St. Paul concert in June, when he had to sit down on stage multiple times while performing.
The septuagenarian hitmaker was performing at the Grand Casino Arena as the start of his joint Sing A Song All Night Long tour with Earth, Wind & Fire when he announced an unusual intermission after a performance of Three Times A Lady from his piano, according to Minnesota’s Bring Me The News.
Richie’s band reportedly also left the stage minutes later, but more than 40 minutes after he cut off the show, a band member returned to announce he wouldn’t be able to return because he was feeling ill.
‘Unfortunately, Lionel is not feeling well,’ said saxophonist Dino Soldo, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. ‘He won’t be able to continue. Additional information will be available.’
On social media, fans who attended the show shared their concerns and revealed that the singer had signaled throughout the performance that he wasn’t feeling well.
Videos of him performing showed the singer stopping to sit down multiple times during his second-to-last song, Dancing On The Ceiling, and he reportedly told the crowd he was feeling ‘dizzy’ while performing.
Sources said Richie took himself to the hospital out of an abundance of caution, and doctors were reportedly considering the possibility that he might be suffering from dehydration; pictured in May on American Idol
Concert attendees told TMZ that Richie appeared to be having difficulty at the end of his concert in St. Louis, and he asked for a chair to be brought out so that he could sit while singing his show-closing hit All Night Long; pictured July 1 in Detroit, Michigan
The incident was reminiscent of the health scare Richie suffered at his St. Paul concert in June (pictured), when he had to sit down on stage multiple times while performing
Richie was able to sit at the piano bench for what turned out to be his last song of the evening.
A fan who attended the June concert told the publication Richie ‘said he has been in this business long enough, if you feel dizzy you sit down! And if you don’t feel right, you sit down!’
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Jon Bream, Richie was even saltier with his advice, quoting the singer as saying, ‘When you’re feeling dizzy, sit your a** down.’
One video posted by journalist Patrick Kessler on X from the St. Paul show in June showed a portion of his Dancing On The Ceiling performance in which he appeared unsteady as he walked across the stage, before he made an unexpected stop and sat down on the edge of a large stepped platform.
Despite apparently feeling unwell, Richie appeared to be singing throughout his seated portion of the song, rather than relying on a guide vocal.
Richie was seated for less than ten seconds before he stood up and started making his way across the stage again.
However, less than 30 seconds later, he stopped to sit down again on the risers on the opposite side of the stage, even as he continued singing.
According to the Star Tribune, Richie’s saxophonist Dino Soldo, who later confirmed that the rest of the show was canceled, took a seat with the singer during Dancing On The Ceiling.
Richie reportedly told the crowd that he was feeling ‘dizzy’ while performing; pictured on American Idol. A band member reportedly told the audience that Richie had to cancel the rest of the show because he was ‘not feeling well’; pictured April 29 in NYC
Audience members reportedly began filing out once Richie’s band left the stage, about 15 minutes after his departure; pictured April 29 in NYC
He and the funk icons are next scheduled to perform a three-date mini tour beginning on September 26 in San Francisco, Calif.; Earth, Wind & Fire is pictured June 13 in Honolulu, Hawaii
The publication reported audience members began to file out of the venue as soon as Richie’s band left the stage, about 15 minutes after he announced the surprise intermission.
One disappointed audience member called the surprise end to the show ‘horrible’ while speaking to the Star Tribune.
‘I’m super bummed. This was my first time [seeing Richie] and I’m old,’ they vented.
The first half of the concert featured a performance from Earth, Wind & Fire, while Richie took the stage for what would have been the second half of the evening.
The two acts are now touring separately after wrapping up their performances in mid-August, but they’ll reunite for another mini tour with three shows on September 26 in San Francisco, California, September 30 in Chicago and October 2 in Columbus, Ohio.
Following the disastrous St. Paul performance, a source told Our News Outlet that the singer’s loved ones fear that Richie – whose best-selling album is 1983’s Can’t Slow Down – may be more focused on entertaining audiences than focusing on his own health.
‘Family, friends, and even his bandmates are definitely concerned about Lionel’s health, but nobody is about to tell him to slow down,’ the insider said. ‘They all want him better and to do what he loves to do.’
They emphasized his incredible work ethic, which has made him a reliably popular entertainer for decades, going back to his time in the 1970s and ’80s in The Commodores.
After his disastrous St. Paul performance in June, a source told Our News Outlet that family, friends and bandmates were worried about Richie’s health but feared that he wouldn’t slow down; pictured July 1 in Detroit, Michigan
‘The Lionel we see on tour and on American Idol is the same Lionel we have known for decades – he’s always moving, always working, and always looking ahead to the next show,’ the source continued. ‘And with that, depending on what doctors tell him, his mindset is already focused on getting back out on the road as quickly as possible because that’s simply who he is.’
‘Music isn’t just his job; it’s what keeps him going. He’s not someone who sits still, and retirement has never really been part of the conversation unless his health leaves him with no other choice,’ they added.
‘Right now, Lionel is actually more upset that fans didn’t get the full show they paid for than he is about himself and his health. That’s where his head is,’ the insider said. ‘He hates disappointing people and feels terrible that the concert couldn’t continue as planned.’
The source close to Richie suggested he wasn’t going to worry for the time being.
‘As far as he’s concerned, while he awaits results, this is just a temporary setback. He fully expects to be back doing what he loves, and he’s already hoping to make it to Chicago this weekend if everything checks out,’ they shared.
‘He’s still waiting for a few more answers on what he is dealing with, but he feels that it could be just a bit of an episode over something super serious.’
