Jamie Foxx waves to fans on boat, first sighting since hospitalization

Check out this footage we got of a cheerful JF cruising along on a mega-boat on the Chicago River Sunday afternoon … looking pretty lively and happy to see fans too. A neighboring vessel passed him and gave him a big cheer … Jamie waved back.

He appeared to be accompanied by a few others on board as well…and at first glance, it looks like there were some members of his family nearby. They have been by his side throughout this ordeal — and we know they’ve also visited him while he’s rehabbing in ChiTown.

The difference here…we finally get a clear picture of Jamie in the flesh, which is encouraging. Frankly, there has been a lot of speculation about his condition … and the longer he went out of the public eye, the greater the speculation would grow. People have been worried.

Now hopefully all those rumors can be put to rest … because the guy seems to be well on his way to full health again. Still no word on what exactly happened to him that sent him to the ER in the first place, but the point is – he seems ready for a comeback.

Here’s another positive update that TMZ can provide … we’ve seen more footage of Jamie spending a night out in the Chicago area on Saturday, getting active on his feet, no less, and appearing to be in a good mood there too.

That clip is yet another sign that the man seems to be doing pretty okay at this point … and that he might be ready to start venturing more and more as he gets back to 100%.