The singer posted a video in December 2022 to say that she had recently been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome.
Pop icon Celine Dion has canceled all of her remaining shows scheduled for 2023-2024, saying she wasn’t strong enough to tour while battling a rare neurological disorder.
Last year, the 55-year-old Canadian revealed that her condition – stiffness syndrome – was affecting her singing.
“I’m so sorry to disappoint you all yet again…and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we call it all off until I’m truly ready to get back on stage,” Dion tweeted.
“I’m not giving up…and I can’t wait to see you again!” she added.
A statement released by her tour said: “With a sense of enormous disappointment, Celine Dion’s Courage World Tour today announced the cancellation of all remaining dates currently on sale for 2023 and 2024.”
I hope it will get better soon. I watched your concert in 2017 and it was one of the best days of my life! A dream come true, really. I can’t wait to see you back on stage. Until then, continue to take good care of yourself.
— Maria Fernanda (@mfjabbur) May 26, 2023
Dion, one of the best singers with a booming octave voice, is the author of hits like Because You Loved Me, My Heart Will Go On and Think Twice.
In December 2022, she posted a tearful video on Instagram to say that she had recently been diagnosed with stiffness syndrome and would not be ready to start her European tour in February as planned.
She said the disorder caused muscle spasms and “didn’t allow me to use my vocal chords to sing like I’m used to”.
Sufferers typically experience stiff muscles in the torso, arms, and legs, with noise or emotional distress known to trigger spasms.
The cancellations will affect his 16-country tour of Europe which was due to start in Amsterdam in August and end with two dates at London’s O2 Arena in April next year.
His “Courage World Tour” began in 2019 and Dion completed 52 shows before the coronavirus pandemic put the rest on hold. She later canceled the North American leg of the tour due to her health issues.
Fans online reacted with disappointment, but wished Dion well.
Love and peace and strength and healing to you. We love you as you are. ❤️
— Mara Dolan (@MaraDolan) May 26, 2023
“Not surprising, but no less sad. Courage to you Céline, we are with you”, wrote a fan on the account @LesRedHeads.
“You don’t have to apologize queen!” Take care of yourself. Your health should be the number one priority,” @notaerz wrote.
The youngest of 14 children, Dion was born in Quebec, Canada and made her debut at age 12, when her mother sent a recording of her to Angelil, who mortgaged his own house to finance his debut album. She started singing in French, but started screaming hits in English after taking English lessons in the 1980s.
She rose to worldwide fame in 1997 with My Heart Will Go On, the theme to James Cameron’s hugely popular film, Titanic.
She turned that success into a regular gig at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, performing for audiences night after night for 16 years, with only a few breaks.