Lionel Richie cancels three shows after heart procedure

Lionel Richie has undergone a procedure to correct atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat, and has cancelled three tour dates while he recovers. A representative told Billboard that the doctor said everything went perfectly.

The representative said Richie is doing great. He will take some time off before returning to the stage.

The cancelled dates are San Francisco on Sept. 26, Chicago on Sept. 30 and Columbus, Ohio on Oct. 2. The announcement was confirmed on Sept. 22.

Two of those dates carry extra history. Chicago and Columbus had already been rescheduled once after Richie was ordered by doctors to rest earlier in the summer.

That order followed the opening night of his headlining tour with Earth, Wind & Fire. The tour began on June 24 at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota.

During that show, Richie said he felt shaky while performing “Dancin’ on the Ceiling.” He sat down, took an unscheduled intermission and did not return to the stage. He later told the crowd he had been feeling dizzy.

There was a further scare in late August. During the closing song “All Night Long” at his Aug. 29 concert in St. Louis, Richie asked his team to bring him a stool so he could sit while he sang. After the show, he checked himself into a local hospital for tests. A source close to the tour told Rolling Stone at the time that he was OK.

The San Francisco date had also been moved before. It was rescheduled after a member of Earth, Wind & Fire suffered a medical emergency ahead of the original date.

For fans, this means a pause rather than a full stop. Richie’s next scheduled concerts are a six-show residency at Encore Theater at the Wynn in Las Vegas, starting Oct. 14, with dates scheduled through November.