Lionel Richie remains under hospital care as doctors run tests for what have been described as “cardiac-related issues,” following his decision to check himself in on Saturday just hours after he appeared to struggle during a live performance.
The 77-year-old music legend is currently being treated in an intensive care unit in St. Louis and is expected to be discharged on Wednesday, a source told TMZ.
The health update comes after Richie appeared to have trouble getting through the closing number of his concert in St. Louis, Missouri, before later admitting himself to the hospital.
Footage obtained by Our News Outlet from the final song of his show at The Muny in Forest Park shows Richie seemingly short of breath at moments while attempting to perform one of his signature hits, “All Night Long.”
At one point, Richie also appeared unsteady on his feet and sat down on a piano bench early in the performance, remaining seated for the rest of the song.
Our News Outlet has contacted Richie’s representatives for comment.
Lionel Richie, 77, remains hospitalized while undergoing tests for “cardiac-related issues” after checking himself in on Saturday following a concert where he appeared to struggle on stage
Richie seemed to have difficulty during the final song of his St. Louis, Missouri, concert before going to the hospital Saturday. Video showed him sitting down while performing “All Night Long”
The video shows the singer returning to the stage for All Night Long, but within 30 seconds a stagehand can be seen bringing out a piano bench unprompted, suggesting that Richie may have requested it while backstage.
Richie continued singing, but then gestured at the bench to get the stagehands to move it closer to the front of the stage.
The former Commodores singer, who performed in all black aside from a red leather jacket that read ‘All Night Long’ on the back, then took a seat on the corner of the bench and continued singing to the audience.
Closeups from the video appear to show Richie out of breath at times when his vocals dropped out amid thick layers of backing vocals.
While seated, his guitarist and bass player joined him on either side of the bench.
Richie awkwardly stretched out the microphone to both of their faces to let them take the spotlight on the vocals, but when neither attempted to sing, he didn’t attempt to jump back in and shook his head while the audience could be heard filling in the lyrics.
His guitarist then appeared to be singing part of the verse, but Richie had already pulled the microphone away, making him inaudible.
Richie was alone on his bench once the instrumentalists went back to their parts of the stage, though he got another short break for the saxophone solo toward the end of the tune.
To end All Night Long, Richie pumped his fists in the air repeatedly as the song was wrapping up.
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.
The singer returned to the stage for All Night Long, but within 30 seconds, a stagehand could be seen bringing out a piano bench unprompted, suggesting that Richie may have requested it while backstage. He pointed at it wordlessly to signal to move it closer to the front of the stage
Closeups from the video appear to show Richie out of breath at times when his vocals dropped out amid thick layers of backing vocals
While seated, his guitarist and bass player joined him on either side of the bench. He awkwardly tried to get them to sing on mic, but when neither did he dropped out of the song himself and just shook his head side to side
To end All Night Long, Richie pumped his fists in the air repeatedly as the song was wrapping up
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
On Monday, it was reported that Richie had been hospitalized in St Louis shortly after that performance.
The singer checked himself into the facility following his performance at The Muny in Forest Park 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 comes 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.
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.
On Monday, it was reported that Richie had been hospitalized in St Louis shortly after that performance; Above July 1 in Detroit, Michigan
The singer checked himself into the facility following his performance to have some tests run, per TMZ, and he was treated in the ICU; Above before falling it at his show in St Louis on Saturday
Richie is reportedly expected to be released on Wednesday; Above in St Louis on Saturday
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.
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.’
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; Above 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; Above on Saturday in St Louis
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
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.
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.
One disappointed audience member called the surprise end to the show ‘horrible’ while speaking to the Star Tribune.
Richie reportedly told the crowd that he was feeling ‘dizzy’ while performing. A band member reportedly told the audience that Richie had to cancel the rest of the show because he was ‘not feeling well’; Above April 29 in NYC
Audience members reportedly began filing out once Richie’s band left the stage, about 15 minutes after his departure; Above 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.; Above Earth, Wind & Fire on June 13 in Honolulu, Hawaii
‘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.
‘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.
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; Above July 1 in Detroit, Michigan
‘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.’
