Lionel Richie returns to stage nearly two months after heart procedure, tells fans "I'm doing just fine"
Las Vegas, November 12
Singer Lionel Richie has returned to the stage nearly two months after undergoing a heart procedure, reassuring fans about his health during his residency performance at The Wynn in Las Vegas, according to E! News.
The 77-year-old singer addressed the audience during the concert, expressing gratitude for their concern and confirming that he was doing well.
"I'm back," Richie told the crowd three times, before adding humorously, "I don't know where I was, but I'm back," as per the outlet.
"I'm doing just fine," he emphasised, thanking fans for their support. "Thank you all so much for caring about me."
Turning his return into a celebration, Richie announced that he wanted to dedicate the evening to himself, joking about the possibility of someone else organising a tribute to him at another venue.
"I want to make it a tribute tonight, to me," he exclaimed. "I better make a tribute to myself before somebody else has that show down the street, 'Come see Lionel Richie down the street!'"
He further extended the celebrations beyond the concert, telling the audience, "Wait a minute, no, this is gonna be a whole week of celebrating Lionel Richie, " according to E! News.
During the performance, Richie also shared a light-hearted account of his recovery and his experience with electrolytes. After dancing and jumping around the stage, the singer took a moment to catch his breath and joked about his physical exertion.
"That was too much, that was beyond my electrolyte capabilities," he said, before a crew member brought him a glass of red electrolytes.
Richie then recalled how he had earlier believed that drinking water was sufficient to stay hydrated, until an episode of dizziness prompted him to reconsider.
"Now let me tell y'all something, for years I thought that water was important. And then, one day, I got dizzy and I said bring me some water, and the man said, 'You don't need water, you need electrolytes,'" he told the audience, as per the outlet.
Joking about his changed dietary habits, he added, "All these years, drinking water. So now I drink electrolytes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and then the doctor told me you need to eat some food. And I said, 'Well, the last food I ate, the chickens, was contaminated, then the lettuce became contaminated, so what the hell are you supposed to eat?'"
After the brief break, Richie returned to the piano, announcing, "Now that I feel refreshed, I'm gonna play a song," according to E! News.
The singer's return to the stage comes just under two months after he underwent a routine heart procedure to treat atrial fibrillation, commonly known as Afib.
In a statement issued on September 22, his representative said that the procedure was successful and that Richie would take some time off before returning to performing.
"The doctor said everything went perfectly. Lionel is doing great but will take some time off and will be back on stage soon," the representative said, according to E! News.
Richie's November 11 performance marked his return to the stage following the procedure, with the singer using the occasion to reassure fans and celebrate his recovery, according to E! News.
— ANI
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