Watch: Lionel Richie Forced to Cancel Concert After Struggling to Stay on His Feet Onstage
Motown and pop music legend Lionel Richie fell ill during a concert Wednesday night in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The music icon, who turned 77 on Saturday, did not return to the stage after an “unplanned intermission.”
A clip posted late Wednesday to the social media platform X showed Richie sitting down on stage while performing his 1986 hit “Dancing on the Ceiling.”
From there, the singer reportedly performed one more song on the piano, announced the intermission, and then left the stage.
BREAKING: Lionel Ritchie concert in St Paul at Grand Casino Arena canceled mid-show. Ritchie sat down on stage during “Dancing on the Ceiling”, said he felt dizzy. Performed one more song at piano, “Three Times a Lady”, then announced unplanned intermission. Did not return. pic.twitter.com/RNalkYHnmG
— Patrick Kessler (@PatKessler) June 25, 2026
According to KMSP-TV in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Wednesday marked the opening stop in a tour he co-headlined with Earth, Wind & Fire, an equally legendary band perhaps best known for its 1978 hit “September.”
“That’s the first time in my career I’ve sat during ‘Dancing on the Ceiling,’” Richie told the audience. “Not good. Not good.”
After the piano performance, Richie abruptly announced “intermission, intermission, so I don’t fall over.”
Meanwhile, band members and concertgoers waited.
Eventually, one of the band members, who reportedly appeared emotional, returned to the stage and announced “Lionel isn’t feeling well.”
On Thursday, TMZ reported that paramedics, as a precautionary measure, rushed Richie to the hospital by ambulance.
Some younger readers might know Richie best as a longtime judge on ABC’s “American Idol.”
Older readers, however, undoubtedly remember his chart-topping hits from the 1980s.
In fact, some X users lamented the inevitable impact of age and health on one’s childhood icons.
One of the great ones. Time catches up with all of us- wishing him well and quick return with a bit easier concert program.
— Brian Smith (@smithwbrian68) June 25, 2026
This is pure torture watching all the great musicians we grew up with age. Hats off to them still performing doing what they love. Many of these musicians can’t be replicated and it’s a reminder to all of us who grew up in the 70s, 80s, and 90s we probably took for granted the…
— Slice of Insight (@sliceofinsight) June 25, 2026
Richie’s lengthy catalog of chart-topping hits includes 1978’s “Three Times a Lady,” which he recorded while a member of the Motown group Commodores.
As a solo artist, Richie struck gold with 1983’s “All Night Long (All Night),” as well as “Endless Love,” a 1981 duet with Diana Ross.
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