Lionel Richie has been hospitalized for the third time during his ongoing tour with Earth, Wind & Fire.
As reported by TMZ, the 77-year-old singer-songwriter has been hospitalized to receive treatment for atrial fibrillation after he experienced an irregular heartbeat. Sources indicated that he’s undergoing an AFib ablation, a minimally invasive treatment that can help restore his heart to a regular rhythm. Due to heart issues, he’s been forced to cancel three dates on his Sing a Song All Night Long tour.
The Sept. 26 date in San Francisco, the Sept. 30 show in Chicago, and the Oct. 2 show in Columbus. This is the third time that Richie has been hospitalized during the tour, which has faced numerous setbacks since kicking off earlier this year.
In June, Richie was taken to a hospital following his performance at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, which came to an abrupt end. When you're feeling dizzy, sit your ass down," he told the audience. "That's the first time in my career I've sat during 'Dancing on the Ceiling'... not good, not good." Shortly after he left the stage, his saxophonist, Dino Soldo, told the audience that Richie was “not feeling well.”
Last month, he checked himself into a hospital following his performance at the Muny in Forest Park, St. Louis. He was checked into intensive care out of caution, with doctors indicating that he could have been suffering from dehydration.
More recently, a source indicated that Richie was “doing great” after spending three days in the hospital following his dehydration issues in August. He was seen in public for the first time following the second hospitalization earlier this month, and appeared to be in good spirits. He attended a dinner party at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills on Sept. 19, and smiled for photographers and flashed a thumbs-up before getting in a car.
