Céline Dion has announced that she has canceled her “Courage” world tour due to health reasons.
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Last year, Dion announced that she was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome or SPS, Entertainment Tonight reported. The symptoms include stiff muscles in the torso, arms and legs, CBC News reported.
Céline Dion announces rare neurological disorder diagnosis; cancels start of European tour
In a statement posted to social media on Friday, Dion said, “I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again… and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything until I’m really ready to be back on stage.”
The Grammy-award-winning singer said that SPS has prevented her from performing, adding that “I’m working really hard to build back my strength.”
Dion’s “Courage” tour was planned to hit London, Prague and Amsterdam in 2023 and 2024. In all, 42 concerts were canceled. Ticketholders will receive a refund through the original point of sale, CTV News reported.
SPS is said to cause “excruciating” and “debilitating” pain because those who have the condition have a heightened sensitivity to sound, touch and emotional distress, which could cause muscle spasms, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. It can be associated with other autoimmune diseases but doctors are not sure what causes it.
About one in a million people can develop SPS, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Despite the cancelation of her tour, Dion has still been active, acting in her first role in the rom-com “Love Again,” starring Sam Heughan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, CTV News reported.
Here are some memorable photos of singer Celine Dion through the years.
1996: A general view of the festivities going on during the Opening Ceremony of the 1996 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Atlanta on Aug. 19, 1996.
1997: Celine Dion and Smokey Robinson at the third annual International Achievement in Arts Awards on Sept. 28, 1997, in Beverly Hills, California.
1999: Celine Dion arrives at the 71st Academy Awards on March 21, 1999, in Los Angeles.
2000: Celine Dion appears at the Nabisco Championship Golf Tournament on March 26, 2000, in Rancho Mirage, California.
2001: Singer Celine Dion holds her 6-month-old baby, Rene-Charles, as she and her husband Rene Angelil pose for fans and photographers July 25, 2001, at the chapel of the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, Quebec, for the baptism of their baby boy.
2002: Singer Celine Dion and husband Rene Angelil attend Sony Music Entertainment’s party at Morton’s Restaurant on February 27, 2002, in Los Angeles.
2003: Singer Celine Dion and dancers rehearse for the "Celine Dion – A New Day" concert at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
2004: Singer Celine Dion gets a kiss from husband Rene Angelil at a ceremony honoring her with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 6, 2004, in Hollywood, California.
2005: Singer Celine Dion and her husband and manager, Rene Angelil, walk from a news conference to a ceremony marking the opening of the 26-story, 949-room Augustus Tower at Caesars Palace September 1, 2005, in Las Vegas.
2006: Singer Celine Dion and her husband and manager, Rene Angelil, pose after Dion performed at the 41st annual Labor Day Telethon to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association at the South Coast Hotel & Casino on September 3, 2006, in Las Vegas.
2007: Singer Celine Dion is embraced by her husband and manager, Rene Angelil, and their son, Rene-Charles Angelil, after the final performance of her show "A New Day …" at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on December 15, 2007, in Las Vegas.
2009: In this handout photo provided by Disney, Grammy Award-winning singer Celine Dion performs "O’ Come All Ye Faithful" at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa hotel on December 4, 2009, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, while taping the "Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade" holiday TV special.
2010: Singer Celine Dion backstage during the 52nd annual Grammy Awards held at Staples Center on January 31, 2010, in Los Angeles.
2011: Singer Celine Dion (right) and manager Rene Angelil arrive at the 83rd annual Academy Awards held at the Kodak Theatre on February 27, 2011, in Hollywood, California.
2012: Celine Dion performs during BAMBI Awards 2012 at the Stadthalle Duesseldorf on November 22, 2012, in Duesseldorf, Germany.
2013: Celine Dion poses in the press room during the 2013 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 19, 2013, in Las Vegas.
2015: Singer Celine Dion performs at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace as she resumes her residency on August 27, 2015, in Las Vegas. The show had been on hiatus since August 2014 when Dion stopped performing to care for her ailing husband Rene Angelil.
2016: Singer Celine Dion performs onstage during the 2016 Billboard Music Awards at T-Mobile Arena on May 22, 2016, in Las Vegas.
2017: Celine Dion attends the "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017, in New York City.
2019: Celine Dion attends the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019, in New York City.
2020: In this screengrab, Celine Dion performs during "One World: Together at Home" presented by Global Citizen on April, 18, 2020.