ST LOUIS, Sept 1 — Lionel Richie has reportedly been hospitalised after a concert in St Louis where he told fans he had been suffering from dehydration and performed his closing number while seated.

According to USA Today, the 77-year-old singer checked into a hospital in St Louis, Missouri, after performing at the St Louis Municipal Opera Theatre on Saturday.

The Hollywood Reporter and ABC News, citing sources close to Richie’s tour, also reported the hospitalisation.

TMZ, which first reported the news, said Richie may have been suffering from dehydration and was hoping to be discharged on Tuesday.

USA Today said it had contacted the singer’s representative for comment.

Richie appeared to be managing the effects of dehydration during Saturday’s performance, sipping electrolyte drinks during the show and taking a seat for the closing song, his 1983 hit All Night Long (All Night), according to The St Louis American.

“Some things have been happening on this tour that kind of shook me up a little bit, because I couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on,” Richie told the audience, according to the newspaper.

“I went back to the doctor, and he said, ‘You are suffering from dehydration.’”

The hospitalisation comes after a series of health-related disruptions to Richie’s Sing a Song All Night Long Tour with Earth, Wind & Fire.

A June 24 concert in St Paul, Minnesota, was cut short after Richie appeared dizzy onstage and remained seated for several songs. He returned to performing in Pittsburgh on June 30, but concerts in Chicago and Columbus were subsequently postponed so he could “rest and return to full health”.

Those dates have since been rescheduled for September 30 and October 2 respectively.

Richie’s next scheduled appearance is in San Francisco on September 26, another rescheduled show. That concert had earlier been postponed after Earth, Wind & Fire drummer John Paris suffered a medical emergency.

Paris was placed in two medically induced comas but has since regained consciousness, according to USA Today.

The St Louis concert had originally been expected to conclude the tour before the rescheduled dates were added.