Pop diva Celine Dion on Thursday tearfully revealed that she is suffering from Stiff-Person Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that is affecting her singing, and said she would have to cancel or postpone a series of European shows.
In a five-minute video posted on Instagram in French and English, a clearly emotional Dion said she had been dealing with the health problems “for a long time.”
“Recently I have been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called Stiff-Person Syndrome which affects something like one in a million people,” the Canadian hitmaker said.
It has been causing spasms that “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,” she said.
“It hurts me to tell you today this means I won’t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.”
Dion, who is 54, said she was supported by her children and a team of doctors working every day to improve her condition, but added: “I have to admit, it’s been a struggle.”
– Titanic fame –
Dion rose from small-town Quebec to worldwide fame in the 1990s with hits such as “My Heart Will Go On” — the theme to James Cameron’s Oscar-winning film “Titanic” — and “The Power of Love”, and has continued to sell out huge stadiums around the world.
That success was parlayed into a regular gig at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, where she had multiple long residencies.
She first mentioned the spasms when she delayed her European tour earlier this year.