Lionel Richie Undergoes Heart Procedure, ‘Will Be Back on Stage Soon’ After Canceling Next Three Shows

Lionel Richie will miss at least a few concert dates after being hospitalized this week and undergoing a procedure to treat atrial fibrillation, the singer’s rep says.

“Lionel underwent a common procedure for Atrial fibrillation (AFib),” Richie’s representative said in a statement given to Variety. “The doctor said everything went perfectly… Lionel is doing great but will take some time off and will be back on stage soon.”

The procedure was said to have been undertaken on a non-emergency basis.

The next three dates on the tour Richie has been on with Earth, Wind & Fire have been canceled. Those dates were scheduled for Saturday night in San Francisco, Sept. 30 in Chicago and Oct. 2 in Columbus, Ohio. The next shows on Richie’s concert calendar, a three-night stand at Las Vegas’ Encore Theater beginning Oct. 14, are still on, as of this writing.

The Mayo Clinic describes the common AFib procedure as “treatment for an irregular and often very fast heartbeat… The treatment uses heat energy, cold energy or high-energy electric pulses to create tiny scars in an area of the heart. The signals that tell the heart to beat can’t pass through scar tissue. So the treatment helps block faulty signals that cause AFib.”

Richie’s health has been in the news lately with some other canceled dates and hospitalizations, although he has seemingly quickly bounced back in each instance.

On June 24, on the first night of the joint tour with EWF, the singer brought a show in Minneapolis to an early halt after mentioning feeling dizzy, and he subsequently canceled two dates, but he was back on stage for the tour’s June 30 stop, and told the crowd not to worry.

On July 4, Richie proudly posted about the reception he had received at shows in Pittsburgh and Deroit since returning to the tour and wrote, “Thank you for every message, every kind word, and for all your love. ❤️ I’m doing well, and I’m grateful for all of you.”

On Aug. 29, he checked himself into a hospital “out of caution,” People reported, after a performance in St. Louis, and underwent cardiac tests. The publication subsequently reported on Sept. 2 that he was checked out and had returned to Los Angeles.