NEW YORK — For every young music superstar whose career was tragically cut short — Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Holly — there is an aging music legend who may have hung around too long.

Few music icons are more beloved than Lionel Richie. But instead of "Dancing on the Ceiling," the four-time Grammy winner needed a chair to finish his final song, “All Night Long,” during a concert in St. Louis late last month.

A representative for Richie, 77, announced last week that the singer/songwriter is taking a break from touring as he recovers from a heart procedure, according to The Associated Press.

Richie underwent a common procedure for atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat condition that can lead to blood clots, stroke and heart failure, most notably in older Americans.

Diagnosis: Richie needs to start taking it Easy.

Health concerns have also surfaced about soul superstar Gladys Knight after recent concert footage showed her appearing to be incoherent and out of sorts on stage.

Knight’s son, Shanga Hankerson, in an interview with the Detroit News, blamed Knight’s current husband and manager, William McDowell, 68, for pushing her too hard despite exhibiting early signs of cognitive decline.

“He never intended to stop any tour dates, as you can see for yourself,” Hankerson told the newspaper.

McDowell has pushed back against any dementia diagnosis, while acknowledging that Knight, 82, has good and bad days.

Knight meanwhile announced that she plans to complete her remaining scheduled shows for the year before stepping back from live touring to focus on new projects in 2027.

“After heartfelt discussions with my team, I recognize that no matter how much I love lifting spirits in song, it’s time for the midnight train to make just a few more stops,” the seven-time Grammy Award winner said in her Instagram post in September.

She’s going to Save the Overtime for someone else

But aging artists are still big business.

According to The Wall Street Journal, five of the top 10 tours in 2024 were by artists over the age of 60.

Among those still touring are Bruce Springsteen, 76, Andrea Bocelli, 67, and Paul McCartney, 84, who each raked in more than $100 million.

And while most artists would probably tell us that it’s not about the money, it’s probably about the money, especially for those who might have been cheated out of profits and royalties when their hits were climbing the charts.

Good for them. If fans still want to fill arenas to see the Rolling Stones, why shouldn’t Mick Jagger and Keith Richards continue to cash in?

But let’s be honest. Nobody wants to see any of these artists keel over in the middle of a set any more than we wanted to see Martha Reeves, 85, go viral after a screechy national anthem rendition that was only slightly better than the Carl Lewis version.

Besides Lionel Richie and Gladys Knight, there are other singers who have had to cancel concerts amid serious health concerns.

Former Gap Band front man Charlie Wilson 73, is back on stage performing following several strokes last year that required him to re-learn how to walk.

“I am not finished yet,” Wilson said on a podcast in June. “I’ve got a long way to go, I’m still who I am, vocally.”

Most of them, except perhaps for Reeves, still are. And that might be the problem. As long as we’re willing to sing along, they remain, in the words of Rod Stewart, Forever Young.

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