Lionel Richie’s latest health scare has fans worried after the singer was hospitalized and admitted into the ICU following his concert Saturday night. It’s now the second time this summer the 77-year-old music icon has had to seek medical care.
According to TMZ, Richie checked himself into a St. Louis hospital after performing at The Muny in Forest Park. He was admitted to the intensive care unit so doctors could run tests and are looking into possible slight dehydration. Sources told the outlet he is hoping to be released Tuesday.
This isn’t the first time Richie has had to stop performing because of his health during this tour. At Saturday’s concert, Richie acknowledged that he was dealing with ongoing health issues.
“Some things have been happening on this tour that kind of shook me up a little bit, because I couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on,” he told the St. Louis crowd, according to The St. Louis American.
Richie said he had gone back to his doctor for answers and was told dehydration was behind it. “I went back to the doctor, and he said, ‘You are suffering from dehydration,’” Richie said.
© GettyHe even tried to stay ahead of it during the performance, drinking electrolytes between songs and joking with the audience about the taste.
“I’m telling you, this stuff is nasty — but it works,” Richie quipped.
Richie pushed through most of the show, but by the time he got to his classic, “All Night Long,” it was clear something was off.
Witnesses told TMZ that Richie appeared to struggle toward the end of the performance and asked his team to bring him a chair. He finished the concert seated for the final song before checking himself into the hospital afterward.
Two hospitalizations in one summer
© GettyIn June, the singer experienced a similar scare during a concert with Earth, Wind and Fire in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he had to sit during his performance. At that show, Richie attempted to make light of the situation from the stage. “When you’re feeling dizzy, sit your ass down,” he joked, according to reports.
He also acknowledged how unusual the moment was for him. “Now, I want you to know that’s the first time in the history of ‘Dancing on the Ceiling’ I’ve done it sitting down,” he said, per the San Francisco Chronicle. “That’s a bad sign. That’s a bad sign, y’all.”
He left to take an intermission, leaving the band playing, and nearly an hour later his saxophonist Dino Soldo told the audience Richie was “not feeling well” and they ended the show with paramedics transporting him by ambulance to the hospital, per Page Six.
Two subsequent tour dates were postponed while Richie was advised to rest. He returned to performing several days later and reassured fans that he was doing well.
© GettyThe second hospitalization comes ahead of his rescheduled Fall Tour dates in September and Las Vegas Residency in October and November.
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