Lionel Richie has postponed two upcoming concerts after falling ill during the opening night of his tour.
The Dancing on the Ceiling hitmaker abruptly cut short his performance in St. Paul, Minnesota after 55 minutes on Wednesday night because he felt unwell.
It has now been revealed that Richie and his co-headliners Earth, Wind & Fire will no longer perform in Chicago on Friday and Columbus, Ohio on Saturday to give the 77-year-old time to recover from his illness.
“Under advisement by doctors to rest and return to full health, Lionel Richie has postponed his next two shows on Friday, June 26 in Chicago, IL and Saturday, June 27 in Columbus, OH,” reads a statement from Chicago’s United Center on Thursday. “He and Earth, Wind & Fire will return to the stage on Tuesday, June 30 in Pittsburgh, PA. Lionel is heartbroken to postpone these two shows and cannot wait to be back performing for his fans.”
The rescheduled dates will be announced “soon”.
During the opening night of their Sing a Song All Night Long Tour, the Hello singer sat down on a step onstage multiple times while performing Dancing on the Ceiling and told the audience he wasn’t feeling well.
“When you’re feeling dizzy, sit your a*s down,” he said, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Richie then sat down at the piano to perform his ballad Three Times a Lady before announcing an unplanned intermission.
His band stayed onstage for around 15 minutes before leaving too, reports the outlet. His saxophonist, Dino Soldo, returned about 40 minutes later and thanked the crowd for their patience before announcing that the show was over.
“Unfortunately, Lionel is not feeling well,” he announced. “He won’t be able to continue. Additional information will be available.”
Richie has yet to address concerns about his health publicly.
The 26-date trek is expected to run until 14 August.
