Celine Dion took to Instagram Thursday with some difficult news: she’s been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a neurological disorder that has brought on severe muscle spasms.
“The spasms impact every part of my day-to-day, occasionally making it difficult to walk and not permitting me to use my vocal cords to sing normally,” Dion said. “I’ll be honest, it’s been tough. All I know is singing—it’s what I’ve always done.”
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) is a disease that causes progressive muscle stiffness and painful spasms. These spasms are triggered by environmental factors such as sudden movement, cold temperature or unexpected loud noises.
Only about one in a million people are affected by the disease, making it quite rare.
Dion added that the diagnosis means the Europe portion of her tour won’t be able to restart in February. The shows scheduled for the spring have been postponed to 2024, while the shows she had scheduled for the summer have been canceled.
“I’m grateful to have an excellent team of doctors who are helping me get better,” Dion explained. “Every day, I work with my sports medicine therapist to regain my strength and ability to perform.”
The French-Canadian singer canceled the North American leg of her “Courage World Tour” in January due to on-going and painful muscle spasms. The section of the tour was first postponed last year because of the pandemic.
The “My Heart Will Go On” crooner’s Las Vegas residency was canceled in October 2021 after she said the spasms were affect her rehearsals.
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