Harry Styles sparked concern after briefly collapsing onstage at his London concert this week while performing during the U.K.’s historic heatwave.
The British singer, 32, was performing Friday at Wembley Stadium when one of his signature moves — the “whale,” which involves spitting water high into the air— took an unusual turn.
After he spat the water into the air during his song “As It Was,” Styles appeared to choke and fell to the ground coughing.
Videos from the concert showed the “Watermelon Sugar” singer lying on his back on the ground as he continued to heave and cover his coughing with his fist. He rested his hands on his stomach as he appeared to attempt to catch his breath.
Another angle showed one of the artist’s security personnel peering over the stage to check he was okay.
However, after a few moments, Styles got back up and ran across the stage while waving goodbye to the crowd. Another video from the concert showed him telling the audience, “It just went down the wrong hole. It’s all good, I’m good.”
The back of his shirt was wet with sweat during the show, which was the latest of the Grammy winner’s 12-night Tonight, Together residency at the iconic venue in London.
Friday’s show came amid the record-breaking heatwave in the U.K. The country’s record for the hottest day in June was broken Friday for the third day in a row, according to the Met Office, peaking at 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius).
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Although Styles appeared to recover from the coughing fit during the performance, fans of the former One Direction star expressed concern for his health as videos of the moment circulated online.
“How come no one came and checked on him???” one fan demanded answers on TikTok. Another wrote, “How hot was it? Poor guy! Where was his team?!”
One person wrote on X, “It’s haunting how he’s struggling to breath and the stadium chants his name.” Another added: “Omg! Harry styles was choking at his concert yesterday! Why didn’t any of his team notice that he was struggling with his tie? This is so bad.”
Other fans praised Styles’s showmanship during the moment, with one person writing on TikTok: “THAT IS A PERFORMER making sure his audience weren’t worried.”
“Water went down the wrong pipe. He’s a performer and knew to lie down and cough for theatrics instead of awkwardly standing and coughing. He’s a pro. Love him. Glad he’s ok,” another added.
