Lionel Richie Transported to Hospital After Cutting Concert Short

Lionel Richie was rushed to a hospital after falling ill onstage Wednesday night in the middle of his concert ... TMZ has learned.

Richie cut his performance short at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota after saying he felt "dizzy" and "strange" ... so much so, he actually took a seat on one of the stage platforms while singing "Dancing on the Ceiling."

It's a high-energy moment in Lionel's setlist, and not one he'd normally sit through.

Sources connected to Richie tell us paramedics met him backstage, and he was taken by ambulance to a hospital ... but we're also told it was a precautionary measure. We're still trying to find out his current condition.

During the concert, Richie was about as high-spirited as he could be under the conditions ... he joked with the audience that the best thing someone in this situation could do is to "sit your ass down."

After Lionel exited the stage, his saxophonist, Dino Soldo, informed the audience Lionel wasn't feeling well and would be unable to continue the show.