Céline Dion “doesn’t have control over her muscles”, her sister has said, as the singer lives with an autoimmune disease called stiff person syndrome.
Speaking to Canadian website 7 Jours, Claudette Dion said that Céline “works hard” at combatting the illness, but the future for her singing career was uncertain. “In our dreams and in hers, the idea is to return to the stage. In what state? I do not know.”
Dion has suffered from uncontrollable muscle spasms for some time. In January 2022, Dion cancelled tour dates after experiencing “severe and persistent” spasms. In December, she announced to fans: “I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges … 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.”
In May 2023, as the disease persisted, she cancelled all future tour dates, saying: “I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100% … I want you all to know, I’m not giving up.”
First diagnosed in 1956, stiff person syndrome is a rare and incurable – though treatable – condition that affects the spinal column and brain, causing them to overstimulate muscles and send them into spasm.
Her sister added that many people contacted her foundation to offer support: “People tell us they love her and pray for her. She receives so many messages, gifts, blessed crucifixes.”
Dion, 55, had intended to continue her Céline concert residency in Las Vegas, as well touring elsewhere. Since her diagnosis, fans have been enjoying her first acting role, in romantic drama Love Again, released in May. A Guardian review said Dion “is responsible for a conservative 80% of the film’s comedy and the bulk of its charm”.
