The 28-year-old died after a crash on the A15 in January 2026

A father who was “always smiling” died of “traumatic injuries” after a single vehicle crash on the A15, an inquest has heard. Jacek Mierzejewski, aged 28, from Great Haddon, was killed when his car left the road near Yaxley at about 12.40am on January 11.

The inquest into his death was held on September 1 by Area Coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Caroline Jones. The red Toyota Celica he was driving left the road and initially struck a curb before colliding with a signpost, tree and fence, the inquest heard.

The court heard that the car had been travelling north towards Peterborough and “lost control” for unknown reasons. Mr Mierzejewski, who held a provisional driving licence, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A toxicology report determined Mr Mierzejewski had around 1.5 times the legal limit of alcohol in his system. The reason the vehicle left the road is “unknown” but it was deemed possible that his blood alcohol levels could have been a factor as well as his possible lack of driving experience.

It is believed the passenger, who suffered serious injuries, called the emergency services followed by a report from a member of the public. It was deemed a category one emergency response.

A post-mortem carried out on the 28-year-old’s death confirmed he died of “multiple traumatic injuries”. The father of two died as a result of a road traffic collision, Coroner Jones concluded.

The partner of Mr Mierzejewski paid tribute to him after his death. The 28-year-old’s partner said: “Jacek, my partner, my love has passed away. He leaves behind our son Diego who is nearly two years old and our baby on the way. He leaves a hole in our lives that can never be filled.”

She described Mr Mierzejewski as “always bubbly, always smiling and always bringing light wherever he went”. She added: “He had the kindest heart and the most beautiful soul. He was an amazing partner and a wonderful father. He loved his family more than anything in this world. I still can’t believe you are gone.

“Our children will always know who their daddy was and how much he was loved. I will carry you in my heart for the rest of my life. Rest in peace my love. You will always be loved, always missed and will never be forgotten.”

There was joy in Cheshire and Greater Manchester as the three lucky winning postcodes landed cash prizes, with every ticket in the winning postcode areas receiving £1,000.

The winning postcodes were CH65 6PA, which covers Fern Road, Whitby, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, M22 4EF, which covers Kenworthy Lane, Northenden, Wythenshawe, Manchester, and M30 7BY, which covers Liverpool Road, Eccles, Manchester.

The postcodes were among 20 winning postcodes announced in the lottery’s daily draw.

Players living in the winning areas who held a valid ticket for their postcode received £1,000 for each ticket they owned.

The Postcode Lottery supports a range of charities across the UK, with a minimum of 33 per cent of ticket sales going to good causes.

Every day, 20 postcodes across the country are selected to win £1,000 for every ticket in the postcode.

The Postcode Lottery also manages society lotteries on behalf of a number of charities and says it supports a wide range of charitable organisations and community projects in Britain and around the world.

To date, players have helped raise more than £1.7 billion for thousands of charities and good causes.

TG Jones, formerly known as WHSmith, has revealed that it will be shutting its Coney Street shop – which also contains the city’s main post office – on October 19.

The Post Office is set to close a few days early on October 14, seven years since the branch moved into the shop after the standalone Lendal location closed.

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As reported by The Press on Monday, the brand has secured court approval for a major restructuring, which is expected to lead to the closure of around 150 stores and affect hundreds of jobs.

Shops across the country have revealed that they are set to close, with banners in the window of the Coney Street shop reading “Store Closing Down” and “Everything Must Go”.

On the Post Office website, an advert to fill the main city centre post office has been advertised with a closing date of next Thursday (September 10).

It says: “These contracts will be awarded directly as Post Office Ltd must act with extreme and unavoidable urgency to protect essential services relied upon by communities.

“Applicants will be shortlisted prior to full assessment, with higher scores given to those experienced in operating a Post Office to required retail standards and those with suitable premises.

“Your Expression of Interest will guide shortlisting, so ensure all details are accurate and proposed locations include complete addresses with postcodes.”

The nearest Post Offices in York city centre are Micklegate and Colliergate.

TG Jones has been contacted for comment and once we receive their reply, we will include it in this story.

Lindsay Clancy does not deny killing her three children, but claims she was suffering with postpartum psychosis at the time

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A murder trial has gripped the US after a mum stands accused of killing three of her children but claims she had been suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time.

Lindsay Clancy, 36, is charged with killing Cora, age five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months old, in 2023, when she was on maternity leave.

Her then-husband, Patrick Clancy, the father of the three children, discovered the bodies in the basement when he came home.

The former labour and delivery nurse has pleaded not guilty of lack of criminal responsibility in court, but doesn’t deny strangling the young children to death. Instead, she claims postpartum psychosis led her to do it.

The prosecution argues she knew what she was doing, The Mirror reports.

Jurors however are struggling to reach a verdict. The murder trial started at the end of July but Tuesday ended a fourth day of deliberations without a verdict after previously saying they couldn’t agree whether the mother is criminally responsible.

What happened to the children?

The Clancy’s had been at their home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, with their kids on January 24, 2023, when Patrick said he nipped out in the evening.

He told the court the mum had been outside with the kids, building a snowman and was having “one of her best days”. Clancy reportedly told her husband at the time that she was having thoughts about harming her children or suicide.

Later on, Patrick said he left the home to pick up dinner and medication but when he returned, found all three children dead and Clancy injured in the garden from a suicide attempt.

Clancy is still paralysed from the waist down and requires a wheelchair. The three children were all killed after being strangled with exercise bands.

About the Clancy trial

The mum is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of assault and battery. But the trial is largely about whether the killings were intentional, given her mental health.

Kevin Reddington, her lawyer, says Clancy was so mentally unwell that she couldn’t be held criminally responsible. The trial heard she had bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis which led her to believe she heard a voice telling her to kill the children so she could end her life.

In her diary entries in the months before the killings, Clancy wrote feeling anxious, overwhelmed and preoccupied with the details of her infant’s care with “brain dog” and feeling “desperate to get a mental break from taking care of everyone”.

Yet prosecutors argue she acted intentionally, as she was involved in everyday activities on the day of the murder such as taking them to the doctor and building a snowman.

The prosecution claims she deliberately sent Patrick away on errands to get him out of the house. It has also questioned the seriousness of her suicide attempt.

What is postpartum psychosis?

According to the NHS, postpartum psychosis is a serious mental health illness that can affect someone soon after having a baby. Symptoms can include hallucinations, delusions, mania, low mood and confusion.

It is said to affect around one in every 1,000 mothers after giving birth and should be seen as a medical emergency. People in this state may not realise they are ill and may need their partner, family or friends to spot the signs and call for help.

Did Clancy try to get help?

After around three months after her youngest, Callan, was born, and around the time she was due to return to work, the mum’s mental health started to decline, according to court testimonies.

Clancy sought help from multiple providers and programmes in September 2022 and also checked herself into a psychiatric hospital for several days in early January 2023.

Her defence claims her care was disjointed and her medication was not managed well. The Clancy’s have both separately sued several people who treated her, though these claims are yet to be heard in civil court.

The clinic that saw Clancy testified she denied having plans to harm herself or anyone else and didn’t exhibit signs of mania or psychosis, but did say she reported feeling suicidal.

Her mother however claimed Clancy told her and Patrick in December 2022 that she thought about harming the children,

Has Clancy testified in court?

The court has heard from Clancy’s ex-husband, lawyers and more than 70 witnesses, including family members and medical staff, but Clancy has not taken to the witness stand.

Throughout the trial, she has been held at Tewksbury Hospital, a psychiatric hospital, but came into court to watch the proceedings from the defence table. She was seen occasionally crying, such as when prosecutors showed autopsy photos of the children to the jury.

What are the potential outcomes of the trial?

Judge William Sullivan has urged the jury to keep trying to reach a verdict, with deliberations expected to resume again on Wednesday.

The jury could convict her of murder or manslaughter, or acquit her if they believe her mental health was to blame.

A conviction could see her spend the rest of her life in prison, though if acquitted, a judge could still order her to be confined to a mental health facility if an evaluation determines she is a danger to the public.

If the jury can’t reach a verdict and a mistrial is declared, the charges against Clancy would remain and prosecutors would need to decide whether to go through the process again before a new group of jurors.

Alternatively, Clancy could be offered a plea deal though her lawyer is more likely to push to drop the charges, according to Boston defence attorney and former prosecutor, Brad Bailey, who is not involved in the case.

For more than a century, the Pilot and the Victory Chimes — two historic schooners with towering sails — have between them served the country in wartime, hosted the likes of Jacques Cousteau and graced the Maine state quarter.

But an inlet just off New York City’s famously polluted Gowanus Canal could be their final port of call.

The boats — now owned by a company that turns historic vessels into floating bars and restaurants — sank there in early July while docked on the Brooklyn waterfront.

Now many in the maritime community are calling on the company to do what it can to save them — and to account for how they sank in the first place.

The 121-foot (37-meter) Pilot, which is a little more than a century old, and the 128-foot (39-meter) Victory Chimes, which dates to 1900 and is the ship that graces the 2003 Maine quarter, are owned by New York City-based company Crew. Both schooners sank around the time of strong squalls, though the exact cause of the sinkings has not been fully determined.

Crew is working with insurers, marine salvage experts and marine surveyors to determine what to do about the sunken boats, said Alex Pincus, the company’s CEO.

“Raising wooden vessels of this size is a highly complex operation that requires specialized equipment, careful planning and extensive coordination,” Pincus said. “The vessels remain submerged as part of that ongoing process while assessments and planning continue.”

Maritime groups want to see the ships saved if possible

Many in the maritime community are calling on the company to do what it can to save the ships and to account for why they sank. Brad Vogel, a member of a canoe club called the Gowanus Dredgers, whose members paddle near the site, called the potential loss of the ships “a shame” and “in some ways unforgivable.”

“People in Maine, people in New York City, do want answers, and want to know what’s going on. And it’s not at all certain that there is a commitment to raising the vessels,” he said.

The Victory Chimes is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the last surviving Chesapeake ram, a kind of flat-bottomed schooner designed to navigate narrow and shallow waterways. Crew acquired it at auction about three years ago.

The loss of the ship is “heartbreaking for Maine and the nation’s maritime heritage” because it’s the last schooner of its type, said Steve Bromage, executive director of the Maine Historical Society.

“While salvaging her requires tremendous effort and expense, it would be very unfortunate to lose such an important part of history,” he said.

The Pilot once ferried maritime pilots to larger ships in Boston Harbor. It also made trips for the Coast Guard during the World War II era. It became an educational and research vessel in the 1970s and 1980s, and Jacques Cousteau spent time aboard it during that period. Crew acquired the vessel in 2015 and turned it into an oyster bar.

The schooners were docked at Brooklyn Bridge Park before being relocated to Henry Street Basin, just off the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood. The canal is a federal Superfund site regarded as one of the most toxic waterways in the country, though a long-term cleanup is underway.

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, which manages the park, didn’t respond to a request for comment. Coast Guard and New York City officials also didn’t respond to questions about the sinking of the ships.

The loss of the boats is “sad, but not entirely unexpected,” because maintaining such historic schooners is very difficult, said Amanda Pleau, spokesperson for the Maine Maritime Museum. Most turn-of-the-century schooners lasted less than 20 years, she said.

“That’s also why historic vessels are so special; it’s not uncommon in Maine to come across a home that’s more than 100 years old, but the remaining ships are few and far between,” Pleau said.

This is the moment a suspected thief brazenly stole an influencer’s Louis Vuitton suitcase outside London St Pancras station.

Colleen Bankston’s bag was apparently pinched by the man as she turned her back for a split second while packing luggage into the boot of a taxi on Sunday morning. 

Footage shows a man, wearing headphones and a baseball cap, looking around to see if anyone is watching before subtly bending down to grab the suitcase and walking off with it. 

Ms Bankston, a 62-year-old influencer and personal trainer, appears none the wiser as she faces the boot of the taxi, the bag having been just behind her. 

The thief then hides the suitcase by holding it close to his chest, before disappearing through the station entrance. 

The video, which was taken by a man nearby who said he recognised the suspected thief, was posted on social media by the American fitness influencer. 

Captioning the clip, she wrote: ‘Get this guy who stole my bag before he gets someone else or, worse, takes a child.’ 

Reacting to the video, one viewer wrote: ‘He has definitely done this before… He is a pro… I bet he has stolen countless bags from tourists.’ Another said: ‘Happened two weeks ago to my friend at St Pancras.’

He then begins walking off with the bag, clutching it to his chest so it is less visible 

The suspected thief, wearing headphones and a baseball cap, walks quickly along the outside of the station before turning into the entrance 

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The suspect looked smart in a white polo shirt, blue suit trousers, a black rucksack and glasses. 

A spokesman for British Transport Police said: ‘Officers are aware of a video showing a man taking a suitcase from outside St Pancras International railway station on Sunday August 30.

‘Enquiries are ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact British Transport Police by texting 61016, quoting reference 447 of 1 September.’

Last month, an Algerian migrant who stole a suitcase containing jewellery worth up to £175,000 outside St Pancras by telling his victim her trousers were dirty was jailed. 

Jumama Zaida had just come out of the station in April after she arrived on the Eurostar from Paris when an accomplice told her she had a stain on her clothing and offered her a tissue in a bid to distract her.

As she wiped her trousers, Bilal Arbaoui, 32, then used the opportunity to steal Ms Zaida’s gold Rimowa case, which can cost upwards of £1,000. 

She quickly noticed the luggage had been taken and saw Arbaoui running away with it, before notifying police. 

Assisted by an Arabic interpreter, Arbaoui appeared at Inner London Crown Court this month and was jailed for 22 months after he pleaded guilty to theft, despite initially denying it was him in CCTV images.

Arbaoui, of Neasden, north-west London, has two previous convictions for similar bag thefts since he arrived in the UK in 2024.

An Algerian migrant who stole a suitcase containing jewellery worth up to £175,000 by telling his victim her trousers were dirty was jailed last month

At the same station in June, classical musician Peter Facer had his oboe stolen 

At the same station in June, a classical musician was also targeted in another cruel ‘distraction theft’. 

Peter Facer, 38, had his oboe stolen by crooks when he was travelling back from his former woodwind teacher’s retirement party in London on June 14.

The oboist was leaning against railings outside the station entrance when the thieves struck.

Mr Facer was carrying a coffee and two bags, one containing his rare oboe d’amore while the other contained his clothes and a pair of Apple AirPods.

One of the crooks pretended to ask for directions to Euston station while his accomplice stole the ‘sentimental’ instrument.

The young man walked away after Mr Facer repeated instructions to get to Euston as the thief claimed to have limited English.

The classical musician was ‘just trying to be helpful’ – but when he looked down, his possessions, including his cherished woodwind instrument, had vanished.

The Met Police told the Daily Mail at the time: ‘it appears to be a theft not involving violence which means we are unable to provide a comment in this instance.’ 

Bahrain intercepted an Iranian aerial attack early Wednesday, as Tehran continued to fire on allies of the United States in the Gulf region despite threats from President Donald Trump to escalate American military attacks.

Bahrain, which hosts an important US naval base, said its air defense systems intercepted incoming fire from Iran, accusing Iran of ‘attacks targeting civilians’ in a statement issued by its military.

After a respite of more than a month, fighting between the US and Iran has been increasing since the weekend after the American military hit Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran retaliated by firing missiles at American bases in Jordan, which were all intercepted.

The renewed violence threatens to threatens to fully reignite a conflict that is now in its seventh month and has led to a spike in oil prices, roiled the global economy and is posing increasing political problems for Trump’s Republican party ahead of November midterm elections.

Since the fighting resumed, the price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, climbed above $95, up more than 30 per cent from the start of the war.

Ahead of the morning attacks on Bahrain, Iran fired missiles at Jordan and drones at Kuwait all of which were intercepted. 

On Monday, the United Arab Emirates said it had intercepted an incoming Iranian drone over its waters as well.

The US Central Command said it had completed the latest barrage against Iranian military targets including air defense sites, radar systems and maritime assets.

President Donald Trump threatened to escalate American military attacks

A map showing US attacks on Iran and retaliatory strikes

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One US strike hit a home hosting a wedding, according to Iranian media. At least five people were killed, including a child, and wounding at least 68 others, according to Iranian officials.

Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Wednesday called the US ‘Satan’ after the attack in the country’s south.

‘Minab school: children massacred. Lamerd sports hall: kids slaughtered. Kouhestak wedding: children killed with families. If a power acts like Satan, picks targets like Satan, and kills like Satan, it’s Satan. Shields a junior Satan that does the same? It’s THE Great Satan,’ said Ghalibaf in a post on X.

The US military said it was aware of the report but that it ‘never targets civilians.’

In a statement, the Iranian army said ‘dozens of the army’s attack drones… have targeted radar systems and the positions of US forces at the Al Dhafra and Al Minhad bases in the United Arab Emirates’.

It said it also targeted ‘radar installations and gathering points’ of US forces at Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa Air Base.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards meanwhile said they targeted US forces in Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

During last month’s the lull in fighting, the US ramped up economic pressure on Iran, which is suffering from soaring inflation, negative growth and a collapsing currency, as Washington sought to win concessions to fully open the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping traffic.

About a fifth of the world’s traded oil was shipped through the key waterway before Israel and the US attacked Iran on February 28 and Iran largely shut it down. 

Despite many pronouncements from Washington that the strait is open, only a handful of ships are making the passage each day and Iran has regularly attacked vessels.

In launching its latest attacks, US Central Command said it was responding to Tehran trying to hit commercial ships and American forces in the Middle East.

Late Tuesday, Trump said he would not force Iran to the bargaining table.

‘I couldn’t care less if they sign a worthless, to them, agreement. I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing. 

‘They are just playing out the inevitable. When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?’ Trump wrote on social media.

Earlier, Trump had appeared to pivot toward trying to bend Iran to his will through economic sanctions. 

He warned that if Iran retaliated for the new strikes, ‘they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level.’

This is a breaking news story. More to follow. 

Pistachio production has more than trebled in the last 20 years. In 2024, more than 1.4 million tonnes were produced globally. Their popularity has only increased in the last two years, with a growing status as a trendy, luxury food item.

However, this rise in popularity has come with concerns around the pistachio’s environmental impacts. There are also questions around whether their production can withstand changing climate conditions.

Pistachios originated in modern-day Turkey and Iran. Despite being considered a nut, they are actually the seeds of pistachio trees. These trees thrive in a hot summer climate but require relatively cold winter temperatures to ensure the trees flower at the right time in spring. They also require dry conditions, as high humidity can reduce yields and leave the trees susceptible to fungal disease.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, pistachios were popularised in the US by migrants from the Middle East. By the 1930s, pistachio orchards were established in California. The warm, dry climate of California provided ideal conditions for pistachio trees, so much so that the US has now overtaken Iran and Turkey as the world’s largest producer of pistachios.

The estimated carbon footprint for pistachios is around 2.5kg of CO₂ equivalent (kg CO₂e). That’s all the greenhouse gases resulting from growing, processing and transporting pistachios, including methane and nitrous oxide, rolled into the CO₂ equivalent of warming.

That puts their footprint around the same as avocados, at the higher end of plant-based products. Part of the reason for their relatively large footprint is the intensive nature of production and the amount of post-harvest processing involved, such as drying, roasting, and sometimes shelling and salting. However, their footprint is still lower than animal-based products like eggs (4.6kgCO₂e per kg) and chicken (9.8kgCO₂e per kg), and much lower than beef (85kgCO₂e per kg).

The larger concern from a sustainability standpoint, however, is the amount of water used in pistachio production, especially as pistachios are predominantly grown in areas susceptible to drought. Pistachios require over 7,600 litres of irrigated water per kg according to one study published in 2020. That is more than almost any other food source. Only beef and lamb are more water intensive, but they generally consume mostly rainwater, which doesn’t deplete as much groundwater as irrigation typically does.

Intensive pistachio production, along with much of California’s agriculture, is accelerating groundwater depletion in the region. In the San Joaquin valley, where much of California’s pistachio production occurs, excessive groundwater pumping is even causing the land to sink, causing huge infrastructure damage and permanently shrinking the capacity of the underground aquifers.

This is compounding the effects of climate change in California, where drought conditions are already becoming more frequent and severe. California is also experiencing greater swings between wet and dry periods, with short, sudden downpours between droughts. Intense rainfall often overwhelms water infrastructure, preventing the effective replenishment of any water lost during the dry periods.

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A rollercoaster of weather extremes: drought and heatwaves are creating UK’s climate whiplash

Iran is facing similar problems. A combination of climate change and poor management is depleting groundwater and threatening agricultural production throughout the country. In Rafsanjan, historically one of the world’s largest pistachio-producing regions, excessive pumping has almost completely depleted the groundwater. Wells are being dug hundreds of meters deep to extract what little water remains, which is often of poor quality and high salinity. Like the San Joaquin Valley in California, Rafsanjan is also sinking as a result of its groundwater overconsumption.

More worryingly, pistachio production will require even more water use by 2050 if temperatures and CO₂ levels continue to rise. This casts serious doubts about the future of pistachio production globally. In both Iran and California, winter temperatures are also increasing. This affects the flowering of pistachio trees, reducing yields and increasing losses to pests.

Drought-tolerant solutions

So, what is the future for pistachios? One solution could be to switch to less intensive farming methods, which reduces both energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions. Another could be to select for more drought-tolerant rootstocks.

Pistachio production may be forced to move to more suitable climates as California and Iran become hotter and more drought stricken. However, current producers will still lose their livelihoods. And the climate of any new region might not remain stable long enough for production to establish, especially as pistachio orchards require several years to become productive.

The easiest way to continue enjoying pistachios is to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit future environmental consequences. Switching to more diverse, less intensive, and more water-efficient agricultural practices will help. But given their current environmental effects and precarious future, perhaps it’s best to consider this luxury food as a treat rather than a staple for the time being.

Lionel Richie remains hospitalized and is being tested for ‘cardiac-related issues’ after checking himself in on Saturday, shortly after appearing to struggle during a concert.

The singer, 77, is in a St. Louis intensive care unit and is reportedly expected to be released on Wednesday, a source told TMZ. 

The latest update comes after Richie appeared to be struggling to perform his final song of the night in St Louis, Missouri, before he checked himself into the hospital.

Video from the final song of his concert at The Muny in Forest Park that was obtained by the Daily Mail shows Richie seemingly out of breath at times as he tries to sing one of his biggest hits, All Night Long.

Richie also seemed to have difficulty standing, and he had to take a seat on a piano bench early on, where he remained for the rest of the song.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Richie’s representatives for comment. 

Richie appeared to have difficulties while performing his final song of the night in St Louis, Missouri, before he checked himself into the hospital on Saturday. Video showed him needing to sit down through the song, All Night Long 

The video shows the singer returning to the stage for All Night Long, but within 30 seconds a stagehand can be seen bringing out a piano bench unprompted, suggesting that Richie may have requested it while backstage.

Richie continued singing, but then gestured at the bench to get the stagehands to move it closer to the front of the stage.

The former Commodores singer, who performed in all black aside from a red leather jacket that read ‘All Night Long’ on the back, then took a seat on the corner of the bench and continued singing to the audience. 

Closeups from the video appear to show Richie out of breath at times when his vocals dropped out amid thick layers of backing vocals.

While seated, his guitarist and bass player joined him on either side of the bench.

Richie awkwardly stretched out the microphone to both of their faces to let them take the spotlight on the vocals, but when neither attempted to sing, he didn’t attempt to jump back in and shook his head while the audience could be heard filling in the lyrics.

His guitarist then appeared to be singing part of the verse, but Richie had already pulled the microphone away, making him inaudible.

Richie was alone on his bench once the instrumentalists went back to their parts of the stage, though he got another short break for the saxophone solo toward the end of the tune.

To end All Night Long, Richie pumped his fists in the air repeatedly as the song was wrapping up. 

After it had ended, he got up from the bench and walked away with his back to the audience, before turning around to shout goodnight and spreading his arms as clips of him from years earlier played on the massive video screen behind him. 

The singer returned to the stage for All Night Long, but within 30 seconds, a stagehand could be seen bringing out a piano bench unprompted, suggesting that Richie may have requested it while backstage. He pointed at it wordlessly to signal to move it closer to the front of the stage

Closeups from the video appear to show Richie out of breath at times when his vocals dropped out amid thick layers of backing vocals

While seated, his guitarist and bass player joined him on either side of the bench. He awkwardly tried to get them to sing on mic, but when neither did he dropped out of the song himself and just shook his head side to side

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To end All Night Long, Richie pumped his fists in the air repeatedly as the song was wrapping up

After it had ended, he got up from the bench and walked away with his back to the audience, before turning around to shout goodnight and spreading his arms as clips of him from years earlier played on the massive video screen behind him

On Monday, it was reported that Richie had been hospitalized in St Louis shortly after that performance.

The singer checked himself into the facility following his performance at The Muny in Forest Park to have some tests run, per TMZ, and he was treated in the intensive care unit.

Sources said that the singer went to the hospital out of an abundance of caution, and doctors were reportedly examining the possibility that Richie might be suffering from dehydration. 

The singer’s latest health scare comes just two months after he stoked concerns among fans when he was forced to cut short a concert in St Paul, Minnesota, after falling ill on stage.

Concert attendees told TMZ that Richie appeared to be having difficulty at the end of his concert in St Louis.

During his show-closing performance of his iconic hit All Night Long, Richie had to ask for a chair to be brought out so that he could sit down while singing. 

The incident was reminiscent of the health scare Richie suffered at his St Paul concert in June, when he had to sit down on stage multiple times while performing.

On Monday, it was reported that Richie had been hospitalized in St Louis shortly after that performance; Above July 1 in Detroit, Michigan

The singer checked himself into the facility following his performance to have some tests run, per TMZ, and he was treated in the ICU; Above before falling it at his show in St Louis on Saturday

Richie is reportedly expected to be released on Wednesday; Above in St Louis on Saturday

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The septuagenarian hitmaker was performing at the Grand Casino Arena as the start of his joint Sing A Song All Night Long tour with Earth, Wind & Fire when he announced an unusual intermission after a performance of Three Times A Lady from his piano, according to Minnesota’s Bring Me The News.

Richie’s band reportedly also left the stage minutes later, but more than 40 minutes after he cut off the show, a band member returned to announce he wouldn’t be able to return because he was feeling ill.

‘Unfortunately, Lionel is not feeling well,’ said saxophonist Dino Soldo, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. ‘He won’t be able to continue. Additional information will be available.’

On social media, fans who attended the show shared their concerns and revealed that the singer had signaled throughout the performance that he wasn’t feeling well. 

Videos of him performing showed the singer stopping to sit down multiple times during his second-to-last song, Dancing On The Ceiling, and he reportedly told the crowd he was feeling ‘dizzy’ while performing. 

Richie was able to sit at the piano bench for what turned out to be his last song of the evening.

A fan who attended the June concert told the publication Richie ‘said he has been in this business long enough, if you feel dizzy you sit down! And if you don’t feel right, you sit down!’ 

According to the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Jon Bream, Richie was even saltier with his advice, quoting the singer as saying, ‘When you’re feeling dizzy, sit your a** down.’

Sources said Richie took himself to the hospital out of an abundance of caution, and doctors were reportedly considering the possibility that he might be suffering from dehydration; Above in May on American Idol

Concert attendees told TMZ that Richie appeared to be having difficulty at the end of his concert in St Louis, and he asked for a chair to be brought out so that he could sit while singing his show-closing hit All Night Long; Above on Saturday in St Louis

The incident was reminiscent of the health scare Richie suffered at his St Paul concert in June (pictured), when he had to sit down on stage multiple times while performing

One video posted by journalist Patrick Kessler on X from the St Paul show in June showed a portion of his Dancing On The Ceiling performance in which he appeared unsteady as he walked across the stage, before he made an unexpected stop and sat down on the edge of a large stepped platform.

Despite apparently feeling unwell, Richie appeared to be singing throughout his seated portion of the song, rather than relying on a guide vocal. 

Richie was seated for less than ten seconds before he stood up and started making his way across the stage again.

However, less than 30 seconds later, he stopped to sit down again on the risers on the opposite side of the stage, even as he continued singing. 

According to the Star Tribune, Richie’s saxophonist Dino Soldo, who later confirmed that the rest of the show was canceled, took a seat with the singer during Dancing On The Ceiling. 

The publication reported audience members began to file out of the venue as soon as Richie’s band left the stage, about 15 minutes after he announced the surprise intermission.

Sources close to the star later told TMZ that paramedics met Richie backstage, and he was taken by ambulance to a hospital.

One disappointed audience member called the surprise end to the show ‘horrible’ while speaking to the Star Tribune. 

Richie reportedly told the crowd that he was feeling ‘dizzy’ while performing. A band member reportedly told the audience that Richie had to cancel the rest of the show because he was ‘not feeling well’; Above April 29 in NYC 

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Audience members reportedly began filing out once Richie’s band left the stage, about 15 minutes after his departure; Above April 29 in NYC

He and the funk icons are next scheduled to perform a three-date mini tour beginning on September 26 in San Francisco, Calif.; Above Earth, Wind & Fire on June 13 in Honolulu, Hawaii

‘I’m super bummed. This was my first time [seeing Richie] and I’m old,’ they vented.

The first half of the concert featured a performance from Earth, Wind & Fire, while Richie took the stage for what would have been the second half of the evening. 

The two acts are now touring separately after wrapping up their performances in mid-August, but they’ll reunite for another mini tour with three shows on September 26 in San Francisco, California, September 30 in Chicago and October 2 in Columbus, Ohio.

Following the disastrous St Paul performance, a source told the Daily Mail that the singer’s loved ones fear that Richie – whose best-selling album is 1983’s Can’t Slow Down – may be more focused on entertaining audiences than focusing on his own health. 

‘Family, friends, and even his bandmates are definitely concerned about Lionel’s health, but nobody is about to tell him to slow down,’ the insider said. ‘They all want him better and to do what he loves to do.’

They emphasized his incredible work ethic, which has made him a reliably popular entertainer for decades, going back to his time in the 1970s and ’80s in The Commodores. 

‘The Lionel we see on tour and on American Idol is the same Lionel we have known for decades – he’s always moving, always working, and always looking ahead to the next show,’ the source continued. ‘And with that, depending on what doctors tell him, his mindset is already focused on getting back out on the road as quickly as possible because that’s simply who he is.’

‘Music isn’t just his job; it’s what keeps him going. He’s not someone who sits still, and retirement has never really been part of the conversation unless his health leaves him with no other choice,’ they added.

After his disastrous St Paul performance in June, a source told the Daily Mail that family, friends and bandmates were worried about Richie’s health but feared that he wouldn’t slow down; Above July 1 in Detroit, Michigan

‘Right now, Lionel is actually more upset that fans didn’t get the full show they paid for than he is about himself and his health. That’s where his head is,’ the insider said. ‘He hates disappointing people and feels terrible that the concert couldn’t continue as planned.’

The source close to Richie suggested he wasn’t going to worry for the time being.

‘As far as he’s concerned, while he awaits results, this is just a temporary setback. He fully expects to be back doing what he loves, and he’s already hoping to make it to Chicago this weekend if everything checks out,’ they shared. 

‘He’s still waiting for a few more answers on what he is dealing with, but he feels that it could be just a bit of an episode over something super serious.’