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Report nowAfter a long absence from the stage, Céline Dion celebrated her comeback in front of a large audience at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on Friday evening. A doctor had issued a warning in the run-up to her performance.
Last Friday, Céline Dion opened the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris with music.
At the end of the opening ceremony on the Eiffel Tower, the 56-year-old sang the song "L'Hymne à l'amour" by French chanson icon Édith Piaf. Céline Dion moved millions of people to tears with her performance.
The singer is seriously ill.
She did not perform on stage for a long time after the Canadian was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (SPS) in 2022.
This rare autoimmune disease, which is associated with muscle stiffness and uncontrollable twitching, affects around one person in a million and is currently incurable.
Could she imagine singing on the Eiffel Tower at the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris?
The phone call from Thomas Jolly, creative director of the opening ceremony, must have unleashed incredible powers in Céline Dion.
It is said that the singer immediately replied "Yes": "If I sing again, it will be for the Olympic Games."
Paris was not an Olympic premiere for Céline Dion. Back in 1996, she performed the song "The Power of the Dream" at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in the US city of Atlanta.
In order to fulfill her big dream a second time, Céline Dion has worked brutally hard over the past few months.
According to the British "Daily Mail ", she underwent daily physiotherapy sessions. She also underwent intensive vocal training with her vocal coaches.
Well, as happy as Céline Dion's fans were about her comeback performance, many are also worried about her health. And experts are already warning against too much hope.
Dr. Pavan Tankha, a doctor specializing in SPS at the Cleveland Clinic in the US, says on tmz.com that although Dion's performance is an encouraging sign, a great deal of caution is still required.
Stiff person syndrome can trigger extremely painful muscle spasms through noise, stress and temperature changes. According to Tankha, these are not ideal conditions for an artist who wants to perform on stage.
Today we know: Céline Dion mastered her comeback on the Eiffel Tower without any unpleasant incidents.
It seems highly likely that all possible precautions were taken in the run-up to her performance in Paris. For example, says doctor Tanka, special relaxation techniques could make life easier for a patient affected by SPS.
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According to the doctor, however, a medical team must always be on standby backstage for any further performances by Céline Dion - in case the singer suddenly suffers muscle cramps, which can last for hours in the worst-case scenario.
With her performance at the Olympic Games, Céline Dion has probably fulfilled one of her biggest dreams: To be on stage again and sing in front of an audience of millions.
"Céline, it's wonderful to see you singing again," wrote Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on X shortly afterwards.
In his brief comment, the 52-year-old politician described what millions of people around the world were probably feeling at that moment.
One day after her comeback, Céline Dion also spoke out on Instagram:
"I'm honored to have performed at the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony and thrilled to be back in one of my favorite cities."
According to the singer, she is looking forward to "celebrating these great athletes with all their stories of sacrifice and determination, pain and perseverance".
She continued: "You should all be so proud. We know how hard you've worked to be the best of the best!"
