Nicole Richie "ready to give birth"

Nicole Richie arrives at for a court hearing at Glendale Superior Court in Glendale, California in this July 27, 2007 file photo.

BEIJING, Sept. 8 -- The 27-year-old star Nicole Richie, who is expecting her second child with partner Joel Madden, reportedly checked into a Los Angeles medical centre at the end of last week.

Gossip website X17 reports: "The day after DJ AM's memorial, rumours began to fly that Nicole Richie - Adam Goldstein's former fiancee - was admitted to a local Los Angeles hospital. Could she finally be ready to give birth ?"

Nicole's due date is believed to be early September.

Nicole - who already has 19-month-old daughter Harlow with Joel - attended the ceremony in remembrance of DJ AM on Thursday.

An onlooker said: "The crowd was very hip and eclectic. It was a very sombre and sad crowd."

The service was structured like an Alcoholics Anonymous 12 steps meeting in tribute to the 36-year-old star, who had battled substance abuse.

Joel has previously revealed he and Nicole can't wait to welcome their second child into the world.

The Good Charlotte frontman said: "We're excited about it. It's going to be great."

Nicole's father, singer Lionel Richie, recently confessed he hopes the couple will have a son.

He said: "It's very exciting. Joel is hoping for a boy, but knowing Nicole she's hoping for a little girl again. They're not telling me what sex the baby is because I'll tell everyone!

"Nicole is the mom of moms. She's in love with the whole concept."

(Source: China Daily/Agencies)