Lionel Richie has suffered numerous health battles across his illustrious career – but his most serious throat condition almost ended his singing for good.
With Lionel on the bill to headline King Charles III’s Coronation alongside Katy Perry, the star has come through plenty to allow him to continue his career, including gruelling surgeries.
The American Idol star was left on the verge of a “nervous breakdown” after suffering so many setbacks, and feared his solo career would come crashing down right at the height of his fame in the 80s.
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It’s not the only battle Richie has faced. With joints damaged from so many years leaping around on stage, he underwent a hip replacement almost a decade ago.
Daily Star takes a peek behind the curtain at his journey to health.
Mysterious throat condition
In the middle of a difficult divorce from first wife Brenda Harvey – and caring for his sick father – Lionel Richie had a battle of his own to contend with.
His health remained a mystery for some time, with doctors struggling to figure out what was causing his pain, but warning him he could lose his singing voice forever.
As a result, he underwent four gruelling – and ultimately unsuccessful – surgeries on his throat.
He confessed in 2012: “I have been through four surgeries, vocal surgeries. And while you’re sitting there in silence, the question comes up, ‘Who am I? Who am I really?
“Without this voice… who are you really? And as an artist, you are defined by your voice.”
Afterwards, one doctor finally discovered the root cause – Lionel was diagnosed with diet-induced acid reflux, which was affecting his throat.
The condition causes the feeling of heartburn, when stomach acid travels back up towards the throat.
Lionel had been consuming ice cream, protein powder and weight gain shakes before bed – which is notoriously difficult to digest and can cause the condition.
‘Nervous breakdown’
When doctors couldn’t get to the bottom of Lionel’s condition, the star’s mental health took a nosedive, and he confessed he was close to a “nervous breakdown”.
Lionel told People Magazine: “You don’t want anybody fooling around down there. This is your identity.”
He admitted it “was the end of the world” when doctors said he might never sing again.
Richie added: “I came about as close as you ever would’ve come to a nervous breakdown.”
The star also suffered from depression when caring for his dying father, and after his death in 1990.
He said: “My father was ill and I went through a very – I won’t say a depression, a massive depression – because, you know, my dad was my hero.
“I went through that whole period of my life.”
He added that only the birth of his second child, son Miles, that helped him improve his mental health.
Lionel explained: “It was something about the birth of my kid. Miles came along and [daughter] Nicole was already there, and I realised I had a group of people that were kind of looking up to me to be the head of the house.”
Hip replacement
Battling arthritis and unable to tour like he used to, in 2014 Lionel was forced to do the unthinkable – and opted to undergo a hip replacement.
He puts his joint pain down to dancing for so long in platform heels.
Speaking to The Mirror, he confessed: “Since the Commodore days, we don’t wear those big boots any more because of the knees and the ankles.
“I think about it now, and think, ‘What was I doing?!’ Every night, on stage, we’d jump from one riser to the floor. Craziness! What was I thinking?”
The star added: “I have had a little knee problem, a little hip problem, but not as bad as all that. Although I did have to have a hip operation three years ago and, honestly, I hardly remember which one it is now because technology is so amazing.
“I put it off for about a year then one day thought, ‘Screw it, let it go’ and had it done.”
Richie joked he is now “bionic” and feeling “better than ever”.
Knee injury
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His hip wasn’t the only issue. In 2017, Lionel confessed that he feared suffering a torn meniscus in his knee would end his career for good.
He explained to Entertainment Tonight “You go into denial and you are like, ‘Oh, OK, I am having a little knee problem, I will just do some more shows and work it out.
“In the old days if you got a little pain, you work it out. Well, the more I started doing shows, what I had was a torn meniscus and the guys said what you do with that is you have to stop, and I didn’t know how to stop.”
Lionel added: “I went through a series of withdrawals where they had to sit and talk to me and go, ‘Lionel, it is not the end of your career.’ But I feel great now, back to normal.”
He underwent laparoscopic knee surgery to treat the condition – and is thankfully as good as new.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk