- Stephen Macintosh
- BBC
Celine Dion announced last year that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome
Celine Dion has canceled all of her remaining live shows, telling fans she’s not strong enough to tour after being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder.
The singer revealed last year that she suffers from Stiff Person Syndrome, which affects her singing.
Dion has now canceled all her shows that were scheduled for 2023 and 2024.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the 55-year-old told fans: “I am so sorry to disappoint you all again.”
“Even though it makes me sad, it’s best that we cancel everything until I’m really ready to get back on stage,” she added.
“I’m not giving up…and I can’t wait to see you again!” she said.
In December 2022, the French-Canadian singer posted an emotional video on Instagram saying that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome and that she would not be ready to start a European tour in February as planned.
She said the disorder causes muscle spasms and “doesn’t allow me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I used to”.
The Carriage World Tour began in 2019, and Dion completed 52 shows before the COVID-19 pandemic put the rest on hold.
It later canceled North American tours due to health issues, and delayed the European leg of the tour.
On Friday, those late European shows were canceled entirely, including dates in London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Stockholm and Zurich.
image copyright Getty Images
In a statement, Dion said she is “working hard” to rebuild her strength
A statement from her tour said the shows were canceled with “great disappointment”.
“I am working hard to rebuild my strength, but the rounds can be very challenging even when you are completely fit,” Dion was quoted in the statement as saying.
The tour was to be Dion’s first world tour in a decade and the first without her husband and manager Rene Angélil, who died of cancer in 2016.
Stiff person syndrome is a rare condition that is not fully understood.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders, it is characterized by fluctuating muscle rigidity in the trunk and extremities and heightened sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch, and emotional distress, which can lead to muscle spasms.
The institute says that abnormal postures, often hunched and rigid, are a feature of the disorder.
People with stiff person syndrome may not be able to walk or move, or they may be afraid to leave the house because street noise, such as the sound of a car horn, can trigger convulsions.
Most individuals with SPS fall frequently and are unable to stand up, and because they lack normal defensive reflexes, their injuries may be severe.
Although there is no cure for stiff person syndrome, there are treatments — including anti-anxiety medications and muscle relaxants — that can slow the progression of the disorder.
