Lionel Richie has reportedly been hospitalized in St. Louis after his Saturday night concert, with the 77-year-old singer undergoing medical evaluation following another concerning moment during his current tour.
Richie performed at The Muny in Forest Park on August 29, delivering a full evening of hits before something unusual happened during the closing moments of the show.
While performing his final song, “All Night Long,” Richie reportedly asked his team to bring a chair onto the stage so he could sit down. Audience members noticed the unexpected move, particularly because the energetic song normally closes his performances on a celebratory note.
One concertgoer also recalled Richie repeatedly being given electrolyte drinks throughout the performance. Despite that, the witness said there was little else during the show that suggested the singer would later require hospitalization.
After leaving the venue, Richie checked himself into a St. Louis hospital so doctors could perform tests. He was subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit, although people familiar with the situation stressed that the decision was made largely out of caution.
Doctors were reportedly investigating possible slight dehydration, and a source close to Richie’s tour said he was doing OK despite remaining in the hospital. At the time of the latest reports, he was hoping to be discharged on Tuesday, September 1.
The hospitalization has understandably worried fans because it comes only a little more than two months after another health scare during Richie’s tour.
During his June 24 concert in St. Paul, Minnesota, Richie told the audience that he felt dizzy and strange before sitting down onstage. The show was eventually cut short, and he was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Two upcoming performances were postponed at the time after doctors advised him to rest. Richie eventually returned to the stage and later reassured supporters that he was doing well and grateful for the messages he had received.
His latest hospitalization appears to be precautionary rather than confirmation of a serious new diagnosis. No specific medical condition beyond possible dehydration has been publicly confirmed, and his representatives had not issued a detailed statement explaining the hospitalization as of the latest reports.
Richie’s next scheduled concert is not until September 26 in San Francisco, potentially giving the longtime performer several weeks to recover before he is expected back onstage. Whether that appearance or any later tour dates will be affected has not yet been officially announced.
For now, the image worrying many fans is the unexpected ending to Saturday’s concert: Lionel Richie, famous for closing shows with the joyful energy of “All Night Long,” asking for a chair so he could finish the song sitting down. What initially seemed like a small onstage adjustment became far more concerning when news emerged that he had checked himself into the hospital shortly afterward
