This post released by Olympic Broadcasting Services shows singer Celine Dion performing on the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024.
Screenshot from IOC via Getty Images
Celine Dion is back on stage.
Two years after revealing she had stiff person syndrome and canceling all shows, the singer returned to perform at the Olympics opening ceremony.
After lighting the Olympic flame, Dion gave a powerful performance of Edith Piaf’s French song “Hymne a l’Amour” under the illuminated Eiffel Tower and the Olympic logo. Wearing a sparkling gown and accompanied only by a piano, the singer belted out her trademark high notes. After the performance, Kelly Clarkson, who co-hosted NBC’s Paris Opening Ceremony coverage, got emotional as she spoke about the moment and praised Dion for her performance and strength.
Canadian singer Celine Dion will perform at the Eiffel Tower to close the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024.
Hector Vivas/Getty Images
After performing, Dion Written on X (Formerly Twitter), “I am honored to perform tonight at the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony, and I am so happy to be back in one of my favorite cities! Most of all, I am so happy to celebrate these incredible athletes, with all their stories of sacrifice, determination, pain and perseverance. You have all been focused on your dream, and whether you medal or not, I hope that your presence here means that your dream has come true! You should all be so proud, we know how hard you work to be the best you can be. Stay focused, keep going, my heart goes out to you!”
This performance was Dion’s second time performing at the Olympics, after she performed “The Power of a Dream” in Atlanta in 1996. The official Olympics Twitter account shared footage from Dion’s first Olympic performance after her return.
The moment marked a notable comeback for the singer, as it was her first public performance since her diagnosis. Dion first announced her diagnosis in 2022 when she postponed her Las Vegas residency and then canceled the North American leg of her Courage world tour. She also pushed back her European dates to 2023 and 2024 before eventually canceling them as well.
Stiff person syndrome is an “autoimmune disorder of the nervous system,” according to Mayo Clinic“This often leads to severe, progressive muscle stiffness and spasms in the lower extremities and back.” There is no cure for this condition.
In June, Dion said the illness makes her feel “like someone is strangling me” when she tries to sing, “like someone is squeezing my throat. It’s like talking like this, and you can’t raise or lower your voice. It goes into spasms.”
In May, Dion said, French Vogue Magazine She said she hopes to “find a miracle, a way to cure it through scientific research, but for now, I have to learn to live with the disease.” She also noted that she undergoes “sports, physical and vocal therapy” five days a week to combat the effects of her disease. “I work on my toes, my knees, my legs, my fingers, my singing, my voice… I have to learn to live with the disease now and stop doubting myself.”
“My Heart Will Go On” singer also Recently revealed She had an initial idea that her voice had become difficult to control since 2008. But after her many concert tours and a Las Vegas residency, it took her being sidelined by the pandemic in 2020 to finally allow doctors to do the investigative work needed to accurately determine her illness.
Lexi Perez contributed to this report.
