Céline Dion Diagnosed With Rare Neurological Disorder, Reschedules Tour

The upcoming dates of Céline Dion’s Courage Tour will not go on as planned. The “My Heart Will Go On” artist announced in a video message to fans on Dec. 8 that she is no longer able to take the stage for her European shows in 2023 after she was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, an incurable and “very rare” neurological disorder that causes “progressive muscle stiffness and painful spasms,” according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. 

In the video message, Dion noted that she has “always been an open book.” However, she “wasn’t ready to say anything before, but I’m ready now.” The superstar, 54, went on to share, “I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through,” before revealing, “Recently I have been diagnosed with a very rare neurological syndrome, which affects something like one in a million people.” Dion revealed that she has been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, or SPS, explaining that “the spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal chords to sing the way I’m used to.”

The “Power of Love” singer said she has “a great team of doctors working alongside me to help me get better” and that she is “working hard with my sports medicine therapist every day to build back my strength,” though she admitted, “it’s been a struggle.” Due to her diagnosis, Dion also shared, “It hurts me to tell you today, this means, that I won’t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.”

“I miss you so much. I miss seeing all of you – being on the stage, performing for you. I always give 100 percent when I do my shows. But my condition is not allowing me to give you that right now. For me to reach you again, I have no choice but to concentrate on my health at this moment. And I have hope that I’m on the road to recovery. This is my focus. And I’m doing everything that I can to recuperate,” the five-time Grammy Award winner said. “I want to thank you so much for your encouraging wishes of love and support on my social media. This means a lot to me. Take care of yourselves – be well. I love you guys so much. And I really hope I can see you again, really soon. Thank you.”

The announcement came after Dion had to postpone her Las Vegas residency because of “severe” muscle spasms back in October 2021. She later canceled her North American tour before later postponing her European tour. Dion’s shows scheduled for the spring have been postponed to 2024, while the eight shows she had scheduled for the summer have been canceled.