Lionel Richie is recovering after undergoing a procedure to treat atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat condition, forcing him to postpone the next three stops on his Sing a Song All Night Long Tour with Earth, Wind & Fire.
A representative for the 77-year-old singer confirmed the news, saying, “Lionel underwent a common procedure for Atrial fibrillation (AFib). The doctor said everything went perfectly. Lionel is doing great but will take some time off and will be back on stage soon.”
The postponed shows were scheduled for September 26 in San Francisco, September 30 in Chicago, and October 2 in Columbus, Ohio.
His next scheduled performances, a three-night run at Las Vegas’s Encore Theater beginning October 14, remain on the calendar as of now.
The procedure was described as non-emergency in nature, according to the Mayo Clinic, the common AFib treatment uses heat, cold or high-energy electric pulses to create small scars in the heart that block the faulty electrical signals causing the irregular heartbeat.
This marks the latest in a string of health-related disruptions to Richie’s touring schedule this year.
On June 24, the opening night of his joint tour with Earth, Wind & Fire in St. Paul, Minnesota, Richie stopped mid-performance of Dancin’ on the Ceiling after telling the crowd he felt shaky, later saying, “When you’re feeling dizzy, sit your ass down.”
He postponed the following two shows before returning to the stage on June 30, where he joked with the audience about their concern for him.
More recently, he checked himself into a hospital following an August 29 concert in St. Louis to undergo testing.
