Lionel Richie is in intensive care in St. Louis after Saturday night’s concert at The Muny in Forest Park, according to a report published Monday.
Sources told TMZ the 77-year-old checked himself into a local hospital after the show to undergo tests. Doctors are looking at possible mild dehydration. He is described as being cautious and is hoping to leave the hospital on Tuesday. His representatives had not issued a public statement as of the report.
Witnesses said Richie appeared to tire late in the set and asked for a chair so he could sit during the closer, “All Night Long.” The Muny date was a one-night summer-finale concert, separate from the arena tour he co-headlined with Earth, Wind & Fire earlier this summer.
The St. Louis hospitalization follows a similar scare in June. On the opening night of that tour in St. Paul, Minnesota, Richie told the crowd he felt dizzy and strange, sat down during “Dancing on the Ceiling,” and ended the show early. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance as a precaution and postponed the next two dates on doctors’ orders before returning to the road.
Richie has spent more than five decades onstage, first with the Commodores and then as a solo artist behind hits such as “Hello,” “Say You, Say Me,” and “Endless Love.” He remains a high-energy performer even at 77. Two health-related hospital visits in one summer underscore how demanding a long tour and outdoor date can be.
No further medical details have been released. Fans who packed Forest Park on Saturday will be watching for an official update and hoping the rest he sought after the Muny show is enough.
