Celine Dion makes grand comeback at Paris Olympics opening ceremony

Singer Celine Dion’s performance at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024 on Friday left the audience mesmerised.

Performing her rendition of an Edith Piaf classic from atop the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Dion’s was the last act of the opening ceremony.

With Friday’s event, the Canadian singer-performer (56) broke her three-year hiatus, which she had gone on after being diagnosed with the neurological condition Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS).

News of her diagnosis first came in December 2022, when she revealed that she had been having involuntary spasms and muscle rigidity.

At the time, Dion had posted a video to her Instagram saying the spasms were impacting ‘every aspect’ of her daily life.

“It’s been a struggle. All I know is singing.”

Last month, Prime Video released the documentary I Am: Celine Dion, directed by Irene Taylor, which shows what the singer’s journey has been like living with the condition.

In one of the scenes, during a physical therapy session, Dion is seen having a seizure. Taylor said she and Dion discussed about retaining the entirety of the scene in the final cut.

“‘I think this film can help others understand what it’s like to be in my body… I don’t want you to shorten that scene,’” Taylor said Dion told her at the time.

SPS is a rare, chronic neurological disorder that causes muscle stiffness and sometimes intense muscle spasms in the trunk and limbs, affecting posture, balance, and the ability to use certain muscles. It usually has an autoimmune component, and, in some cases, can be progressive and painful.

Only one in about a million people gets SPS, and the condition affects twice as many women as men.

The condition is diagnosed based on symptoms, through neurological and neuromuscular exams, including electromyography, or EMG, to test muscle and nerve function. Diagnosis also often relies on a blood test that measures the GAD antibody.

At the time of her diagnosis, lots of her fans expressed their worry openly about how Dion - one of the top-selling artists of all time with over 200 million albums sold - would never be able to make a mainstream comeback.

However, Dion’s Friday evening performance demonstrates that with an accurate diagnosis, timely therapies and the right treatment plans, some conditions can be managed effectively, if not completely reversed.