Lionel Richie Returns To Vegas After Heart Procedure

Lionel Richie resumed his Las Vegas residency Wednesday after a heart procedure interrupted his touring schedule, bringing the 77-year-old R&B star back to Encore Theater at Wynn.

The November 11 performance opened his latest “King of Hearts” run. Rather than avoid the health concerns that surrounded his absence, Richie addressed them directly and thanked the audience for checking on him.

“I’m back! I don’t know where I was, but I’m back!” Richie said, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s account from the show.

Richie had stepped away from performing after undergoing treatment for atrial fibrillation in September. His representative said the procedure was successful, but the singer needed time to recover before returning to work.

The break followed canceled concerts with Earth, Wind & Fire. Earlier in the year, he fell ill during a June performance, and an August hospital visit brought another interruption to his concert plans.

“I feel just fine, thank you all so much for caring about me,” Richie told the Las Vegas crowd.

Wednesday’s set drew from both his solo recordings and his years with the Commodores. It also included a duet with footage of Kenny Rogers on “Lady,” the song Richie wrote for the country star.

Richie’s career spans the Commodores’ soul ballads and some of the biggest crossover records of the 1980s. He wrote “Easy,” “Still,” and “Three Times a Lady” during his time with the group before building his own catalog.

His solo hits include “Hello” and “Dancing on the Ceiling,” while his songwriting work also includes the 1985 charity single “We Are the World.” His honors include four Grammys, an Oscar and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

His work has extended beyond the stage. Richie produced the documentary “The Greatest Night in Pop,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024 and earned three Primetime Emmy nominations.

Las Vegas has been part of that later career for a decade. Richie began his first headlining residency there in April 2016, years before the current “King of Hearts” production.

Wynn’s calendar lists his next performances for November 13 and 14, followed by January 8 and 9.