Fans rally behind Celine Dion following ‘difficult’ health update

Beloved singer Celine Dion has delivered a heartfelt apology to her devoted fanbase after regrettably having to cancel her highly anticipated Courage World Tour.

The unfortunate cancellation is due to the singer’s ongoing battle with a rare medical condition known as stiff-person syndrome, a diagnosis she received several months ago.

The debilitating illness has posed significant challenges for Dion, making it difficult to perform and forcing her to postpone several of her shows in the past.

“I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again. I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%,” Dion told fans in a statement to social media.

“It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again. I want you all to know, I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!” – Celine xx.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Céline Dion (@celinedion)

Although fans were no doubt disappointed to hear that Dion would be stepping away from the stage for the foreseeable future many were quick to offer their messages of support for the My Heat Will Go On hitmaker.

“We love you Celine, take good care of yourself, your health is the most important and precious thing, we are praying for your healing,” one fan wrote.

“We miss you! We keep our Faith in your recovery.”

“Take the time you need. We understand that touring is not easy. Your health is more important than a tour,” another commented.

“You’ve entertained us for decades, now it’s time to take care of yourself!”

Dion disclosed her condition to fans when she was forced to postpone several performances in 2022 due to the health difficulties she was facing at the time.

On Thursday, December 8, 2022, Dion announced that she was postponing her upcoming tour dates, revealing her diagnosis had affected her singing abilities.

“I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time,” Dion said.

“And it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.

“Recently I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff person syndrome which affects something like one in a million people.

“While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all of the spasms I’ve been having.

“Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to.

“It hurts me to tell you today that this means I won’t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Céline Dion (@celinedion)

According to the National Organisation for Rare Disorders (NORD), stiff person syndrome is “a rare acquired neurological disorder characterised by progressive muscle stiffness and repeated episodes of painful muscle spams.”

NORD explains that the spasms occur sporadically or are “triggered by a variety of different events including a sudden noise or light physical contact.”