Celine Dion Makes Surprise Onstage Appearance at 2024 Grammys Amid Health Struggles
The "My Heart Will Go On" singer was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome in 2022.
Céline Dion was met with a standing ovation at the 2024 Grammy Awards as the 16-time Grammy nominee surprised the audience with a rare public appearance. Dion, 55, shocked the crowd during Sunday's award ceremony when she appeared onstage to announce the winner of Album of the Year was Taylor Swift for Midnights, as the "My Heart Will Go On" singer has been struggling privately with Stiff Person Syndrome.
Dion, who won the 1997 Grammy for Album of the Year award for Falling Into You, was visibly touched as she stepped on stage to present Sunday. "Thank you all, I love you right back," Dion told the cheering audience Sunday. "When I say I am happy to be here, I really mean it. From my heart."
Dion has been battling Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes rigidity and spasms in the body, for more than a year, as she was diagnosed with the syndrome in December 2022. Since her diagnosis, the artist has made few public appearances, and her symptoms have led to her ultimately announcing the discontinuation of her Courage World Tour, which she last performed in March 2020.
Dion's appearance at the Grammys comes shortly after the announcement that her new documentary, I Am: Céline Dion, would be available to stream on Prime Video when it eventually premieres. The documentary is "an intimate exploration that takes viewers on a journey inside the singer's past and present as she reveals her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) and the lengths she has gone to continue performing for her beloved and loyal fans," last week's announcement read.
In a press release about the documentary, the "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" singer explained her intentions for making the documentary, saying, "This last couple of years has been such a challenge for me, the journey from discovering my condition to learning how to live with and manage it, but not to let it define me." She continued, "As the road to resuming my performing career continues, I have realized how much I have missed it, of being able to see my fans. During this absence, I decided I wanted to document this part of my life, to try to raise awareness of this little-known condition, to help others who share this diagnosis." No release date has been announced at this point for I Am: Céline Dion.