Celine Dion’s last performed live on July 5, 2019, at the British Summer Time festival in Hyde Park in London; her planned Courage tour was canceled in 2022, as she announced she was suffering “severe and persistent muscle spasms.” She was diagnosed in with Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare autoimmune neurological disorder characterized by her symptoms often triggered by noise, touch, or stress.
Tonight, at the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, the Canadian diva performed for the first time since being diagnosed beneath the Eiffel Tower. Singing Edith Piaf’s “L’Hymne à l’amour,” Dion hit every note, as if only days, rather than half a decade, had passed since her last time on stage. Standing beneath the Olympic Rings, accompanied by a grand piano, and doused by the rain that had drenched the athletes during the Parade of Nations, Dion made a triumphant return that brought hope to viewers of her rumored comeback Las Vegas residency and tears to the choked-up commentary team, who recounted her struggles through their emotions.
Dion described the symptoms of Stiff Person Syndrome in a documentary about her life with the disorder, saying, “If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl. And I won’t stop. I won’t stop.”
You can watch the performance (at least, until the inevitable copyright strikes get it removed) above.
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