Lionel Richie Rushed to ICU After Onstage Scare

Lionel Richie, 77, was admitted to an intensive care unit in St. Louis after a health scare following Saturday night’s show at The Muny in Forest Park. He checked himself in so doctors could run more tests. Sources said the team is being cautious and is looking at slight dehydration as one possible cause.

Witnesses told TMZ the singer appeared to struggle near the end of the concert. During the finale, “All Night Long,” he asked for a chair and finished the song sitting down.

He had already told the St. Louis crowd that unexplained problems on the tour had rattled him. “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 h*** was going on,” Richie said.

He said a doctor later blamed dehydration. He drank electrolytes during Saturday’s show and joked with the audience about the taste. He still made it through most of the set on his feet.

The St. Louis episode came just over two months after a scare in St. Paul, Minnesota. On June 24, opening night of his “Sing A Song All Night Long” tour with Earth, Wind & Fire, Richie grew dizzy onstage, sat for “Dancing on the Ceiling,” then left the stage. Saxophonist Dino Soldo told fans Richie was not well enough to finish. Paramedics took him to a hospital as a precaution.

43 years ago today, Lionel Richie released 'All Night Long (All Night).' pic.twitter.com/7Jl1JFk3pr

— RNB RADAR (@rnbradar) August 31, 2026

Shows in Chicago and Columbus were postponed. In early July he told fans he was doing better: “Thank you for every message, every kind word, and for all your love. I’m doing well, and I’m grateful for all of you.”

Saturday’s concert showed the issue has not fully gone away. Sources told TMZ he hoped to leave the hospital Tuesday. His representatives had not issued a public comment as of Monday afternoon.

Richie first rose with the Commodores, then built a solo catalog that includes “Hello,” “All Night Long,” “Dancing on the Ceiling,” and “Say You, Say Me.” He later judged “American Idol.” Whether this latest hospital stay ends the current tour stretch is the question his fans are waiting to hear answered.