Celine Dion made a stunning comeback to the stage during the Summer Olympic Games in Paris, marking a significant moment in her career. The renowned singer headlined the closing ceremony on Friday, delivering a mesmerizing performance from the first stage of the Eiffel Tower. Dion captivated the audience with a rendition of Edith Piaf’s classic, “L’Hymne à l’amour,” dressed in an elegant beaded white gown adorned with tassels.
The performance was met with high praise from NBC commentator Kelly Clarkson, who described Dion as “a vocal athlete” after being momentarily speechless by the singer’s powerful delivery. This appearance was particularly notable as it was Dion’s first live concert since she disclosed her battle with stiff person syndrome—a rare and progressive neurological condition affecting the brain and spinal cord.
Dion, 56, had announced in December 2022 that she would be stepping back from her professional commitments to focus on her health, revealing that the syndrome was impairing her ability to sing as she normally would. Her last live performance before this was in March 2020, in New Jersey.
The Summer Olympic Games also featured a memorable opening performance by Lady Gaga, who sang “Mon truc en plume” by Zizi Jeanmaire along the Seine river.
In the months leading up to her Olympic appearance, Dion had shared the challenges of living with stiff person syndrome, including severe muscle spasms and rigidity, in promotion of her new documentary “I Am: Celine Dion” released on Amazon. She described the experience of singing with her condition as feeling “like somebody is strangling you” and noted that it had caused physical injuries such as broken ribs.
Despite these challenges, Dion has remained determined to continue performing. At the Grammy Awards earlier this year, she made an appearance to present the final trophy of the evening. In her documentary, Dion conveyed her resilience and commitment to her craft, stating, “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.”
