Celine Dion cancels 2023-24 shows over health condition
Singer posted a video in December 2022 to say she was recently diagnosed with Stiff-Person Syndrome.
Pop icon Celine Dion has canceled all of her remaining shows scheduled for 2023-24, saying she was not strong enough to tour as she battles a rare neurological condition.
Last year, the 55-year-old Canadian revealed that her condition – Stiff-Person Syndrome – affected her singing.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you all again… and while it breaks my heart, it’s best we cancel everything 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 from her tour read: “It is with a sense of immense disappointment that Celine Dion’s Courage World Tour today announced the cancellation of all remaining dates currently on sale for 2023 and 2024.”
I hope you get better soon. I saw your concert in 2017 and it was one of the best days of my life! Truly a dream come true. I look forward to seeing you on stage again. Until then, keep taking good care of yourself.
— Maria Fernanda (@mfjabbur) May 26, 2023
One of the best singers with an octa-breaking voice, Dion 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 to Instagram to say she had recently been diagnosed with Stiff-Person Syndrome and would not be ready to embark on her European tour in February as planned.
She said the condition caused muscle spasms and “didn’t allow me to use my vocal cords to sing like I’m used to”.
Sufferers often experience stiff muscles in the trunk, arms and legs, with noise or emotional stress known to cause spasms.
The cancellations affect her tour of 16 countries in Europe, which was set to begin in Amsterdam in August and conclude with two dates at London’s O2 Arena in April next year.
Her “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 expressed disappointment, but wished Dion well.
Love and peace and strength and healing to you. We like you just the way you are. ❤️
— Mara Dolan (@MaraDolan) May 26, 2023
Not surprising, but no less sad for that. Courage to you Celine, we are with you,” wrote a fan information account @LesRedHeads.
‘You don’t have to excuse 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 got her start at age 12, when her mother sent a recording of her to Angelil, who mortgaged his own home to finance her first album. She started singing in French but started belting out 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 of James Cameron’s extremely popular film Titanic.
She turned that success into a regular gig at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, where she played to audiences night after night for 16 years, with only a few breaks.