Lionel Richie is finally back home following a frightening three-day stay in intensive care-but the 77-year-old superstar's second onstage health scare in just a few months has left fans wondering whether he is pushing himself too hard.
The "Hello" singer has returned to Los Angeles and is reportedly "doing great" after being discharged from a St. Louis hospital on Wednesday, Sept. 2. Richie voluntarily checked himself into the hospital following his Aug. 29 performance at The Muny, where audience members noticed that the usually energetic entertainer appeared to be struggling.
Concern intensified during the closing number, "All Night Long," when Richie asked his team to bring him a chair so he could finish the concert seated. It was an unsettling sight for fans accustomed to seeing the consummate showman effortlessly commanding the stage.
Richie was subsequently admitted to the ICU, where doctors conducted tests for possible cardiac-related problems. Initial reports also suggested that mild dehydration may have contributed to his condition. Neither Richie nor his representatives has announced a specific diagnosis, and there has been no confirmation that doctors discovered a serious heart problem.
A source has now told People that the music legend is safely home and recovering well.
The reassuring update will come as a huge relief to fans, but this was not Richie's first alarming episode on his current tour.
During a June concert in St. Paul, Minnesota, Richie told the audience that he felt "dizzy" and "strange." He cut the performance short, was met backstage by paramedics and taken to a hospital by ambulance. The incident forced him to postpone subsequent concerts in Chicago and Columbus on medical advice.
Richie later returned to the road and thanked fans for their support, appearing eager to put the scare behind him. Then came the St. Louis performance, the chair request and an ICU admission that suddenly made the earlier episode much harder to dismiss.
The back-to-back health scares have cast a shadow over Richie's Sing a Song All Night Long Tour with Earth, Wind & Fire. His next scheduled performance is Sept. 26 at San Francisco's Chase Center, and no cancellation or postponement has been announced.
That gives the singer several weeks to rest, but the question now hanging over the tour is whether doctors will clear him to return to the stage-and whether Richie will be willing to slow down if they do not.
The San Francisco concert has already endured one postponement. Its original Aug. 6 date was moved after Earth, Wind & Fire drummer John Paris suffered his own cardiac emergency, reportedly requiring two major surgeries and intensive care. Now Richie's hospitalization has delivered another unnerving reminder of the physical strain involved in keeping a major arena tour moving.
Richie has spent decades cultivating an image of boundless charm and energy. The man behind "Dancing on the Ceiling," "All Night Long" and "Running With the Night" hardly seems built for sitting still. Yet finishing one of his biggest party anthems from a chair after appearing unwell gave the St. Louis audience a glimpse of a far more vulnerable performer.
For now, the news is positive: Richie is out of the ICU, back in his own home and reportedly feeling well.
Nevertheless, two hospital visits following two troubling performances within a matter of months are certain to keep fans watching closely. Everyone may want Lionel Richie to keep the party going "all night long," but after this latest scare, his health must take center stage
