See the moment Lionel Richie needed to sit down mid-concert hours before ICU hospitalization
Lionel Richie needed to sit down during his concert in St. Louis, Missouri, on Saturday before he checked himself into the hospital.
In social media videos from the show, the 77-year-old singer motioned to his team to bring out a chair while performing his final song, “All Night Long,” at the Muny Amphitheater.
The team member brought out the chair, which Richie sat on for the remainder of his show.
According to the St. Louis American, Richie spoke about his dehydration issues and June hospitalization during the concert.
“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 audience, adding, “I went back to the doctor, and he said, ‘You are suffering from dehydration.’”
In another video from the show, Richie drank electrolytes onstage and said, “I’m telling you, this stuff is nasty — but it works.
“That’s all you gotta remember — just drink your electrolytes and you too can be like me,” he added.
After the concert, Richie ended up in the intensive care unit at a local hospital, where he got testing done, according to TMZ. Doctors are reportedly looking into the cause of his illness as slight dehydration.
Page Six reached out to Richie’s rep for comment.
The Grammy Award winner was previously hospitalized in June after he fell ill onstage and abruptly ended his concert early at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Videos shared online at the time showed Richie — who is co-headlining his 26-city North American tour with Earth, Wind & Fire — being forced to sit down several times while singing “Dancing on the Ceiling.”
“When you’re feeling dizzy, sit your ass down,” he told the crowd, before he left the concert altogether.
Richie then canceled two concert shows in Chicago and Columbus, Ohio.
However, Richie assured fans he was fine in a July 4 Instagram post.
“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.”
When he performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City on July 11, Richie drank electrolytes and told the crowd, “They assured me this electrolyte is gonna last all the way through the show.”
Lionel chugged the electrolytes at the audience’s behest, before saying, “I feel power! How you feel out there?”
