Lionel Richie has pushed back his next two concerts at the advice of doctors after he suffered a health scare Wednesday on stage.
The 77-year-old singing legend was performing in St. Paul, Minnesota, when he told the crowd that he was experiencing a dizzy spell. He was forced to cut the concert short, with his saxophonist, Dino Soldo, later coming out to tell the audience that “unfortunately, Lionel is not feeling well” and “won’t be able to continue with the show.”
Wednesday night’s performance was Richie’s opening-night show for his Sing a Song All Night Long tour with Earth, Wind & Fire.
He was expected to perform Friday in Chicago, Illinois, and Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. However, “under the advisement by doctors to rest and return to full health, Lionel Richie has postponed his next two shows,” reads a statement released on social media by Live Nation Chicago.
“He and Earth, Wind & Fire will return to the stage on Tuesday, June 30 in Pittsburgh, PA,” the message continued. “Lionel is heartbroken to postpone these two shows and cannot wait to be back performing for his fans.”
“We apologize for any inconvenience this causes fans who have tickets for these two shows,” it added. “Rescheduled dates will be announced soon.”
The post has since been flooded with supportive comments from fans, wishing Richie a “speedy recovery.”
“Get well soon Richie,” one person wrote.
“Man really hope we don’t lose him too this year,” a second said. “We’ve already lost too many amazing people.”
Richie first rose to fame in the Seventies as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores. In 1982, he released his debut solo album, which featured the chart-topping lead single “Truly.” That same year, he officially left his band to pursue a solo career.
The “All Night Long” singer was reportedly transported to the hospital after ending his Wednesday concert early. According to TMZ, the hospital visit was a precautionary measure.
In clips shared by fans on social media, Richie was performing “Dancing on the Ceiling” when he signaled to someone on stage that he was going to finish the performance sitting down.
Following the song, Richie told the audience, “Now, what I have learned about my years of being in the business: when you are feeling dizzy, sit your ass down. And when you are feeling strange about yourself, sit your ass down.
“Now I want you to know that that is the first time in the history of ‘Dancing on the Ceiling’ I’ve done it sitting down,” he continued to audience laughter and cheers. “That’s a bad sign! That’s a bad sign, y’all.”
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