Lionel Richie’s team has offered a reassuring update after the 77-year-old music legend was admitted to an intensive care unit following his Saturday night concert in St. Louis, Missouri. A person close to his tour says Richie is doing OK while doctors continue evaluating him.
Richie performed at The Muny in Forest Park on August 29, but fans noticed something unusual during the closing moments of the concert. While performing “All Night Long,” he asked his team to bring a chair onto the stage so he could finish the song sitting down.
After leaving the venue, Richie decided to check himself into a St. Louis hospital for testing. He was subsequently admitted to the ICU, though reports indicate the decision was largely precautionary rather than evidence that he was experiencing a life-threatening emergency.
Doctors are reportedly investigating possible mild dehydration. Someone close to Richie’s tour explained that the singer wanted to be checked thoroughly and remained in St. Louis rather than immediately continuing his travel schedule.
The most encouraging part of the latest update is that people around Richie say he is doing well. He was reportedly hoping to leave the hospital on Tuesday, September 1, depending on the results of his evaluation.
The latest scare has nevertheless caused concern because it comes only a little more than two months after another frightening moment onstage.
During a June 24 concert in St. Paul, Minnesota, Richie told the audience that he was feeling dizzy and strange. He eventually ended the performance early and was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Doctors advised him to rest following that episode, leading to the postponement of two performances. Richie later recovered and returned to the stage, even joking with fans about how much concern the incident had caused.
In early July, Richie personally reassured supporters that he was doing well and thanked them for the messages, kindness and concern they had sent following the first health scare. He subsequently continued touring with Earth, Wind & Fire.
That history has made Saturday’s incident particularly unsettling for longtime fans. Seeing Richie unexpectedly request a chair during the energetic finale immediately raised questions, and news of his hospitalization shortly afterward intensified those concerns.
For now, however, there has been no announcement of a serious new medical diagnosis. The information available indicates doctors are checking for dehydration and keeping Richie under observation as a precaution.
Richie’s next scheduled concert is currently set for September 26 in San Francisco, giving him several weeks before he is expected back onstage. No official announcement has been made indicating that appearance will be canceled or postponed.
After two hospital visits in just over two months, fans are understandably watching closely. But the latest word from those around Lionel Richie offers some relief: despite the ICU admission and concerning ending to his St. Louis concert, the singer is reportedly OK and undergoing precautionary testing as doctors make sure he is ready to return home
