Lionel Richie appeared in high spirits Saturday during his first public outing since leaving the hospital earlier this month, following a worrying incident onstage.
The 77-year-old R&B icon attended a dinner at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills and offered fans reassurance by giving onlookers a double thumbs-up.
Richie was accompanied by his longtime girlfriend, Lisa Parigi. He dressed casually for the evening in a navy jacket and matching trousers, finished with white sneakers.
The appearance came nearly three weeks after the “Hello” singer checked into a hospital, one day after appearing to struggle during the final song of his concert in St. Louis, Missouri.
Doctors tested Richie during his hospital stay for what were described as “cardiac-related issues.”
Video obtained by Our News Outlet from the closing number at The Muny in Forest Park showed Richie appearing short of breath at points as he performed one of his signature hits, “All Night Long.”
Lionel Richie, 77, appeared upbeat Saturday during his first outing since being released from the hospital earlier this month, following a concerning onstage incident
The R&B star was seen laughing outside the popular Beverly Hills restaurant Mr. Chow
Richie also appeared to have trouble remaining on his feet. Early in the song, he sat on a piano bench and stayed there for the remainder of the performance.
Although he continued singing, he motioned for stagehands to bring the bench closer to the front of the stage.
The former Commodores frontman was dressed entirely in black, apart from a red leather jacket bearing the words “All Night Long” across the back. He sat on the edge of the bench and carried on performing for the crowd.
Close-up footage appeared to show Richie becoming breathless at times, with his lead vocals dropping out beneath heavy layers of backing vocals.
While Richie remained seated, his guitarist and bass player took positions on either side of the bench.
He extended the microphone toward both musicians, seemingly inviting them to take over the vocals. When neither appeared to sing, Richie did not immediately rejoin in; instead, he shook his head as the audience could be heard supplying the lyrics.
The guitarist then appeared to sing part of the verse, but Richie had already pulled the microphone away, leaving his contribution inaudible.
Richie was left alone on the bench after the instrumentalists returned to their positions. He received another brief respite during the saxophone solo near the end of the song.
Richie attended the dinner with Lisa Parigi, his girlfriend of more than a decade, who wore a silk blouse and jeans
The music star wore a navy jacket and trousers with white sneakers. He sought to reassure fans about his recovery by giving onlookers a double thumbs-up
Richie appeared to enjoy the dinner outing just weeks after his hospitalization
As “All Night Long” drew to a close, Richie repeatedly pumped his fists in the air while finishing the performance.
After it had ended, he got up from the bench and walked away with his back to the audience, before turning around to shout goodnight and spreading his arms as clips of him from years earlier played on the massive video screen behind him.
Richie had been hospitalized in St Louis shortly after that performance.
The singer checked himself into the facility to have some tests run, per TMZ, and he was treated in the intensive care unit.
Sources said that the singer went to the hospital out of an abundance of caution, and doctors were reportedly examining the possibility that Richie might be suffering from dehydration.
The singer’s latest health scare came just two months after he stoked concerns among fans when he was forced to cut short a concert in St Paul, Minnesota, after falling ill on stage.
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.
Richie was tested for ‘cardiac-related issues’ after checking himself into hospital earlier this month, shortly after appearing to struggle during a concert
During his hospital stay, Richie was tested for ‘cardiac-related issues’; Above July 1 in Detroit, Michigan
‘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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Sources close to the star later told TMZ that paramedics met Richie backstage, and he was taken by ambulance to a hospital.
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.’
He and the funk icons are next scheduled to perform a three-date mini tour beginning on September 26 in San Francisco, Calif.; Above Earth, Wind & Fire on June 13 in Honolulu, Hawaii
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.
‘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.
