Lionel Richie told Las Vegas fans he's "doing just fine" after his recent heart procedure
Richie, 77, thanked Las Vegas fans for their support a few months after the procedure and joked about putting on his own tribute show.
The "Hello" singer broke his silence on his health status and told the crowd at Wynn Las Vegas' Encore Theater, "I'm back," during his Nov. 11 "King of Hearts" show. "I don't know where I was, but I'm back."
"I'm doing just fine. Thank you all so much for caring about me," he told the crowd. The Grammy winner said he wanted to spend the whole week celebrating himself.
"I want to make it a tribute tonight, to me," he continued. "I better make a tribute to myself before somebody
else has that show down the street, 'Come see Lionel Richie down the street!'"
"Wait a minute, no, this is gonna be a whole week of celebrating Lionel Richie," he added.
A crew member later brought Richie a red electrolyte drink after a stretch of dancing. The singer joked that he'd been drinking electrolytes for every meal until his doctor reminded him to eat, too.
Lionel Richie canceled three shows with Earth, Wind & Fire
Richie's representative confirmed to USA TODAY on Sept. 22 that the singer had undergone a procedure for atrial fibrillation and would take time off to recover.
"The doctor said everything went perfectly," the representative wrote. "Lionel is doing great but will take some time off and will be back on stage soon."
In atrial fibrillation, the heart's upper chambers beat irregularly, which can raise the risk of blood clots and stroke, according to the American Heart Association.
Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire called off the remaining shows on their Sing a Song All Night Long Tour in San Francisco, Chicago and Columbus, Ohio. Richie had already postponed the Chicago and Columbus shows on his doctors' advice after adizzy spell cut short his June 24 concert in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Richie checked himself into a hospital after his Aug. 29 show in St. Louis. He told the St. Louis audience that a doctor had attributed some of the trouble he'd been having on tour to dehydration. He sipped electrolytes during the set and sang his closing number, "All Night Long (All Night)," from a chair.
Richie is scheduled to play the Encore Theater again Nov. 13 and 14, with two more "King of Hearts" shows set for Jan. 8 and 9, according to Wynn Las Vegas.
Contributing: KiMi Robinson, Brendan Morrow, Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lionel Richie says he's 'doing just fine' after heart procedure
