Lionel Richie said he nearly had a “nervous breakdown” when he thought he was losing his voice

Arnold Turner/Getty Images for HELLO by Lionel Richi

Lionel Richie has opened up about a scary moment in his life when he thought he had lost his singing voice.

Speaking to People, the “Hello” hitmaker recalled when he was struck by a mysterious throat illness during the height of his career and how he had to undergo multiple surgeries to treat it.  “You don’t want anybody fooling around down there. This is your identity,” he said of having doctors operate on his throat four separate times. “I never really thought that it would end.”

Lionel battled his throat condition amid his divorce from ex-wife Brenda Harvey and while