Lionel Richie Hospitalized in ICU After St. Louis Concert
Lionel Richie checked himself into the intensive care unit at a St. Louis hospital after performing at The Muny in Forest Park on Saturday night, marking the third health scare to hit the 77-year-old singer's tour this year.
Richie appeared to struggle near the end of his set, asking for a chair so he could sit down while finishing his closing song, "All Night Long." He was admitted to the hospital afterward as doctors ran tests to determine whether dehydration was behind the episode.
Richie Told the Crowd Something Was Wrong
Before the trouble became visible, Richie addressed the audience directly about how he'd been feeling on this leg of the tour. "Some things have been happening on this tour that kind of shook me up a little bit," Richie told the crowd, adding that a doctor had since told him, "You are suffering from dehydration."
He pushed through to the end of the show despite the discomfort, but concertgoers described him as visibly uncomfortable during the closing number before he was taken in for evaluation once the performance wrapped.
ICU Stay Described as a Precaution
Sources close to the situation described the hospitalization as a cautious move rather than an emergency, with Richie hoping to be discharged as soon as Tuesday. His representatives have not issued a public statement addressing the St. Louis hospitalization as of this report.
The dehydration concern echoes a health scare Richie experienced earlier this summer, when a St. Paul, Minnesota audience watched him tell fans he felt "dizzy" and "strange" mid-show before paramedics met him backstage and rushed him to a hospital by ambulance. He spent one night there and had to cancel back-to-back tour stops in Chicago and Columbus before returning to the stage in Pittsburgh a few days later.
A Difficult Summer on the Road
Richie thanked fans for their support after that June episode, posting on social media that he was "doing well" and grateful for the outpouring of concern. "Thank you for every message, every kind word, and for all your love," he wrote. "I'm doing well, and I'm grateful for all of you."
The tour has faced other setbacks beyond Richie's own health. Richie has spent the summer co-headlining shows with Earth, Wind & Fire, and on August 7, that pairing ran into trouble of its own when Earth, Wind & Fire drummer John Paris suffered a cardiac emergency at San Francisco's Chase Center just before the two acts were set to take the stage. "A fire engine and private ambulance responded to the venue for a cardiac incident, and one person was transported to a local hospital in critical condition," TMZ reported, and the entire show was scrapped that night. None of Earth, Wind & Fire's three longtime core members, Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson, were involved in the emergency, but the cancellation added to a summer that has repeatedly interrupted Richie's touring schedule.
The St. Louis stop itself came together as a marquee outdoor booking, with Richie taking the stage at The Muny, the historic outdoor amphitheater in Forest Park that has hosted touring acts for more than a century. It was against that backdrop, in front of a packed crowd on a Saturday night, that Richie's latest health scare unfolded.
What Comes Next
With Richie now hospitalized for a second time in three months, questions are mounting about how the rest of his tour schedule will hold up. No cancellations tied to the St. Louis hospitalization had been announced as of this report, and fans are watching closely to see whether Richie will need to adjust upcoming dates the way he did after the Minnesota incident.
For now, the singer remains under observation in St. Louis, with hopes of a Tuesday release and a return to the stage once doctors give the go-ahead.
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