In 2022, Céline Dion announced that she was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called stiff-person syndrome. About a year later, her sister, Claudette Dion, gave an update on her sister’s condition to French magazine 7 Jours.
The effects of stiff-person syndrome, or SPS, include sudden and debilitating muscle spasms and stiffness that severely affects movement and mobility, possibly brought on by environmental factors and stress. The little-understood condition worsens over time, and while there’s no known cure, treatments do exist.
Dion’s SPS diagnosis forced her to put her musical career on hold, as the superstar singer explained in a Dec. 2022 Instagram post in which she also announced the postponement of her upcoming Courage World Tour. The tour was canceled a few months later.
In the post, Dion said, “Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk, and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to. All I know is singing, it’s all I’ve done all my life, and it’s what I love to do the most. … I always give 100% when I do my shows, but my condition is not allowing me to give you that right now.”
How is Celine Dion doing?
About a year after Dion’s SPS diagnosis was announced, her sister Claudette spoke with 7 Jours about her sister’s heartbreaking condition, saying that Dion no longer had control over her muscles. “What breaks my heart is that she’s always been disciplined. She’s always worked hard. Our mother always told her, ‘You’re going to do it well, you’re going to do it properly,'” Claudette said.
Claudette also mentioned that her sister dreamed of returning to the stage, but that there was no timeline or certainty it would actually happen. “It’s true that in both our dreams and hers, the goal is to return to the stage. In what capacity? I don’t know. The vocal cords are muscles, and the heart is also a muscle,” she explained.
According to John Hopkins Medicine, SPS affects around two in every one million people and treatments include medications and physical therapy. For Dion, the possibility exists that she’ll be able to manage her symptoms through treatment and slow the progression of the disease for an improved quality of life.