Lionel Richie was taken to a hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, after becoming unwell following a Saturday night performance in the city.
The 77-year-old music icon reportedly admitted himself to a medical facility after his show at The Muny in Forest Park, where doctors conducted tests, according to TMZ. The outlet said Richie received care in the intensive care unit.
As of Monday afternoon, the legendary singer remained under observation at the hospital, though he is expected to be discharged on Tuesday, the report added.
Insiders told the site that Richie sought medical attention as a precaution, with physicians said to be looking into whether dehydration may have contributed to his condition.
The Daily Mail has contacted Lionel Richie’s representative for comment, but has not yet received a reply.
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.
Lionel Richie, 77, has been hospitalized in St. Louis, Missouri, after falling ill after a show there on Saturday night. The singer checked himself into the facility following his performance to have some tests run, per TMZ, and he was treated in the ICU; pictured July 1 in Detroit, Michigan
Lionel Richie, 77, has been hospitalized in St. Louis, Missouri, after falling ill after a show there on Saturday night. The singer checked himself into the facility following his performance to have some tests run, per TMZ, and he was treated in the ICU; pictured May 15 in Grand Rapids, Michigan
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 in Chicago on Friday, June 26; Earth, Wind & Fire is pictured performing in Honolulu, Hawaii, on June 13
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.