Lionel Richie is taking time off to recover after undergoing a heart procedure for atrial fibrillation (AFib).
The 77-year-old singer was hospitalized this week during his Sing a Song All Night Long Tour, forcing him to cancel his next three performances with Earth, Wind & Fire. One of Richie’s representatives confirmed the news and shared that he is expected to make a full recovery.
“The doctor said everything went perfectly,” the representative told People. “Lionel is doing great but will take some time off and will be back on stage soon.”
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Impacted Tour Dates and AFib Treatment
Organizers officially canceled the upcoming shows scheduled for Sept. 26 in San Francisco, Sept. 30 in Chicago, and Oct. 2 in Columbus, Ohio.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines atrial fibrillation as an irregular heartbeat in the upper chambers that restricts blood flow and raises a person’s risk of having a stroke. To correct the issue, doctors perform a minimally invasive procedure that creates small scars in the heart tissue to block faulty electrical impulses and restore a normal rhythm.
The singer already appears to be recovering well from the hospital stay. He spent this past weekend at a Beverly Hills dinner party with his girlfriend, Lisa Parigi, where photographers caught him smiling outside the venue.
A String of Recent Health Scares
Following a St. Louis performance on Aug. 29, Richie checked himself into a hospital as a precaution and spent a few days in the ICU for cardiac testing, per TMZ. Doctors sent him home on Sept. 2 once they confirmed his vitals were stable.
That hospital stay followed another brief health interruption earlier in the summer when he postponed two concerts due to “dizziness.” When he resumed the tour on June 30, he immediately made light of the situation.
“You have no idea what I have been through in the last 24 hours, listening to my friends tell me their advice on what I should be doing,” he joked to the crowd.
A few weeks later, he shared an Instagram post thanking his fans for their support and reassuring them that he was doing well. “Thank you for every message, every kind word, and for all your love,” he captioned. “I’m doing well, and I’m grateful for all of you.”
