On Monday, December 18, news circulated that Celine Dion “doesn’t have control over her muscles” after being diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome. Her sister, Claudette Dion (one of 13 of Celine’s siblings), reportedly broke the news to 7 Jours, as translated from French to English.
“There are some who have lost hope because it is an illness that is not known,” Claudette Dion said. “She works hard, but she doesn’t have control of her muscles. What pains me is that she has always been disciplined.”
Below is a timeline of the beloved singer’s ongoing battle with the rare condition.
Canceling Part Of Her Courage World Tour
January 2022: On January 15, 2022, Dion confirmed on Instagram that she “must cancel the remaining shows of the North American leg of her Courage World Tour” and cited that she had been receiving treatment for “severe and persistent muscle spasms.” In her Instagram post’s accompanying caption, Dion wrote, “I was really hoping that I’d be good to go by now, but I suppose I just have to be more patient and follow the regimen that my doctors are prescribing.”
Sharing Her Diagnosis
December 2022: It wasn’t until the end of last year that Dion publicly shared the specifics of her medical condition. On December 8, the five-time Grammy winner posted an emotional Instagram video in which she said she had recently “been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called stiff-person syndrome, which affects something like one in a million people.”
Dion also confirmed that her aforementioned muscle spasms came as a result of SPS.
“Unfortunately, these spasms 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 added. “It hurts me to tell you today this means I won’t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.”
Appearing In The Love Again Trailer
February 2023: Fans were delighted to see (and hear) Dion in the official trailer for the Priyanka Chopra Jonas-led romantic-comedy Love Again. Dion’s appearance is central to the movie’s plot, and the accompanying soundtrack boasted five new Dion songs.
Chopra Jonas and co-star Sam Heughan told Entertainment Weekly that they never filmed in-person with Dion, as the movie was produced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canceling The Rest Of Her Courage World Tour
May 2023: On May 26, Dion again took to Instagram to announce, “with tremendous disappointment,” that she needed to cancel “all remaining dates currently on sale for 2023 and 2024” of her Courage World Tour.
“I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again,” Dion is quoted as saying. “I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%. It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again. I want you all to know, I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!”
Living With Her Sister, Linda
July 2023: In an interview with Le Journal De Montreal, Claudette Dion shared that her sister, Linda, had moved in with Celine in Las Vegas — and dispelled rumors that Celine would be returning to Quebec (as relayed in English by Hello! Canada).
“Doing Everything She Can To Recover”
September 2023: Hello! Canada published an interview with Claudette Dion, who provided an update on her sister’s progress.
“She’s doing everything to recover,” she said. “She’s a strong woman. […] It’s an illness we know so little about. There are spasms — they’re impossible to control. You know who people often jump up in the night because of a cramp in the leg or the calf? It’s a bit like that, but in all muscles. There’s little we can do to support her, to alleviate her pain.”
Singing Again?
October 2023: On October 30, Dion and her three sons — René-Charles, 22, Nelson and Eddy, 13 — “had such a fun time visiting with the Montreal Canadiens after their hockey game with Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas,” as she captioned an Instagram carousel.
Canadiens Vice President Of Hockey Communications revealed to People that Dion sang “a few notes” while around the NHL squad.
Supporting Katy Perry In Las Vegas
November 2023: On November 4, Dion was spotted in attendance for the final show of Katy Perry’s Play Las Vegas residency, as relayed by the likes of Rolling Stone and TMZ, the latter of which provided exclusive photos. A fan account on X (formerly Twitter) also relayed video of Dion dancing.
Celine Dion dancing to ‘Never Really Over’ at the final Play residency show.
pic.twitter.com/2SqvCPq9nb— Katy Perry Today (@todaykatyp) November 10, 2023
Losing Control Of Her Muscles
December 2023: Claudette Dion’s latest update relayed to 7 Jours, roughly translated from French to English, can be read in full below.
“There are some who have lost hope because it is an illness that is not known. If you only knew how many calls we receive at the Foundation to hear from Celine! People tell us they love her and pray for her. She receives so many messages, gifts. She works hard, but she doesn’t have control of her muscles. What pains me is that she has always been disciplined. She always worked hard. Mom always told her, ‘You’re going to do it well, you’re going to do it properly.’ It’s true that, in our dreams and in hers, the goal is to return to the stage. In which state? I do not know. The vocal cords are muscles, and the heart is also a muscle. This is what comes to get me. Since it’s one in millions, scientists didn’t do that much research, because it didn’t affect that many people.”