Lionel Richie is still feeling the love after a health scare left him hospitalized on the opening night of his “Sing A Song All Night Long” tour with Earth, Wind & Fire. On July 4, 2026, the “American Idol” judge, 77, shared his first social media post since the ordeal.
Richie, who returned to the stage on June 30 in Pittsburgh — nearly a week after his June 24 hospitalization — posted multiple photos from his most recent concerts 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.”
Lionel Richie Says He’s Made ‘Real Memories’ With Audiences Since His Health Scare
In his July 4 post, Richie celebrated the two concerts he’s performed since his health scare, writing, “Pittsburgh and Detroit were an absolute joy. The energy, the dancing, the faces in the crowd… we made real memories together.”
Looking ahead to his next concert that night, he added, “See you in Toronto… let’s party all night long! 🎉”
Fans and famous friends flooded his post to send him more love and relief that he’s feeling good. Richie replied with a heart emoji to a comment from actress Holly Robinson Peete, who wrote, “Love you”
He did the same to a fan who wrote, “The Pittsburgh show was AMAZING! Nothing short of magical – we cried, we laughed, we danced – we knew we wanted to see Lionel, we didn’t know we needed to see Lionel! Do yourself a favor and go! We’re still singing the songs! Fiesta forever! ❤️”
Richie doesn’t often interact with those who leave comments on his posts, but he also left a heart emoji for someone who wrote, “Brilliant seeing you back doing what you love @lionelrichie ❤️❤️”
Lionel Richie Broke His Silence Nearly a Week After Hospitalization
Richie’s upbeat post comes 10 days after getting so dizzy about an hour into his concert in St. Paul, Minnesota, that he cut the show short and was hospitalized overnight.
In videos taken by fans that quickly circulated, Richie was seen sitting down on the stage after telling the crowd, “What I have learned about my years of being in the business, when you are feeling dizzy, sit your ass down! And when you are feeling strange about yourself, sit your ass down. Now, I want you to know that’s the first time in the history of ‘Dancing on the Ceiling’ I’ve done it sitting down. That’s a bad sign, that’s a bad sign, y’all.”
Richie has yet to share what caused his hospitalization and the decision to cancel his next two concerts to rest, per doctors’ orders. But he did break his silence on June 30 as he returned to the stage at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
Richie looked relaxed and happy in a bright yellow bomber jacket as he quipped, “I had you worried there for a minute, huh?”
He playfully told the screaming crowd, “I want you to know, not only did I scare your ass to death, I scared my ass to death as well!”
“You have no idea what I have been through,” he quipped, telling the audience he’d had to listen to countless “friends tell me their advice on what I should be doing,” from driving a scooter across the stage at future performances to putting castor oil behind his ears.
Before taking a seat at the piano to play “Easy,” one of his biggest hits with the Commodores, he told the Pittsburgh crowd, “Tonight, I’m trying to forget everything that happened. And remember one thing: I ain’t going nowhere!”
Richie plans to be on the road for most of the summer and is likely to sign on for his 10th season of “American Idol,” expected to begin filming auditions in the fall.
