- Author, Ian Young
- Role, Cultural journalist
Celine Dion returned to the stage for the first time since revealing a serious health scare, delivering a typically powerful performance at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
The Canadian superstar was rumored to have performed a duet with Lady Gaga, but she ended up performing solo on the Eiffel Tower to close out the four-hour event in style.
It was Dion’s first live performance in four years, and came a year and a half after revealing a diagnosis of stiff person syndrome (SPS).
Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a rare neurological disorder that causes muscle spasms and can be disabling. It also affects his powerful, distinctive voice.
Image source, Shutterstock
The 56-year-old singer, known as the “queen of power ballads,” underwent therapy to “rebuild” her voice. she told the BBC in June.
On Friday, her rendition of Edith Piaf’s classic, L’Hymne à l’Amour, gave encouraging signs that the treatment is working.
She was accompanied by a pianist on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, under the giant illuminated Olympic rings.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said she “is a Canadian icon, an incredible talent, and she has overcome a lot to be here tonight.”
He added: “Celine, it’s great to see you singing again.”
Italian singer Laura Pausini wrote: “My hands were shaking and my eyes were crying as I listened to and saw my beloved Celine Dion.”
His appearance was highly anticipated, with crowds of fans waiting outside his hotel in the city in recent days.
Céline Dion has a huge following in France. Her album D’eux, released in 1995, is the best-selling French-language album of all time.
It was the second time that Celine Dion, known for hits such as My Heart Will Go On and It’s All Coming Back to Me Now, took part in an Olympic opening ceremony, after Atlanta 1996.
His return came six months after a surprise appearance to present an award at the Grammy Awards.
She also mentioned a new residency in Las Vegas.
“We’ve worked really hard to put this show together – because I’m back,” she told the BBC in June.
It already holds the record for the most successful residency of all time on the Las Vegas Strip.
Last month, she opened up about her struggles with SPS in a film called I Am: Celine Dion, which Amazon Prime Video said on Thursday became her most successful documentary to date.