In an Instagram video, the singer reveals that she has a disease that hinders her from doing things like walking and singing as she wants.
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| Celine Dion postponed her European tour due to Stiff Person Syndrome through her Instagram profile |
Her followers will have to be patient for a bit longer. Celine Dion postponed the start of her European tour, set for February, for the second time on Thursday, December 8, citing "a very uncommon neurological disease" that prohibits her from singing as she would want.
In an almost five-minute video shared on Instagram in both French and English, the Quebec singer, obviously upset, describes having "health challenges for a long period." "I was recently diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called 'stiff-person syndrome,' " she says.
Celine Dion has trouble walking and is unable to "use [her] voice chords" as she would want due to this disease, which is marked by growing muscle stiffness. "We don't know everything about this unusual condition yet," she says, "but we do know that it is the source of my muscular spasms."
The singer had previously revealed severe spasms during the suspension of her European tour in the spring. She subsequently claimed to feel "a little better," despite the fact that she "still experienced spasms."
Celine Dion, who was scheduled to perform in the Czech Republic at the end of February as part of her Courage World Tour, chose to postpone her reunion with the Old Continent once more. "It saddens me enormously to have to tell you today that I will not be ready to resume my tour of Europe in February," she regrets, adding that she is supported by "an excellent team of doctors."
Some 2023 concerts have been rescheduled for 2024, while others have been canceled. These include her appearance at the Vieilles Charrues event in Brittany on July 13, following the first two cancellations. "Céline Dion's health situation forces us to cancel rather than postpone the festival, which we had planned for the summer of 2024," admits the festival's director, Jérôme Trehorel, who expects to reimburse 55,000 tickets. According to him, the star's passage to the Plows in 2024 is not viable from the perspective of its turners because to the danger weighing on the festivities scheduled for the summer of 2024.
Indeed, the French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, stated at the end of October that cultural or sports events should be "cancelled or postponed" owing to the large police mobilization for the Paris Olympic Games, which took place from July 26 to August 11.
On the other hand, all of the singer's scheduled concerts from August 26 to October 4, 2023, including the six booked at La Défense Arena (near Paris) in September, are still on. Celine Dion has performed the first 52 gigs of the tour before the Covid-19 pandemic struck in early 2020. The celebrity then stated that the North American portion of her tour will be canceled due to health issues.
What is Stiff Person Syndrome?
Stiff-man syndrome, also known as stiff-man syndrome (SHR), is a rare neurological illness with an estimated frequency of 1 person per million. According to the Orpha.net site, a portal for rare and orphan illnesses, around two-thirds of affected individuals would be women, with a peak incidence around 45 years old. It is characterized mostly by trunk muscular rigidity, spine deformity, and painful spasms. Moersch and Woltman, two American neurologists, initially reported this disease in 1956.