Celine Dion Makes First Appearance in More Than 3 Years Amid Battling Stiff-Person Syndrome
The "My Heart Will Go On" singer attended a hockey game in Las Vegas to support her hometown team, the Montreal Canadiens.
The "My Heart Will Go On" singer attended a hockey game in Las Vegas to support her hometown team, the Montreal Canadiens.
Amid an ongoing battle with Stiff-Person Syndrome, Celine Dion has made her first public appearance in more than three years by attending an NHL game at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Monday night.
The “My Heart Will Go On” singer attended the game — a face-off between her hometown team, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Las Vegas Golden Knights — with her three sons, 22-year-old René-Charles and 13-year-old twins Eddy and Nelson. Following the game, the hitmaker spoke with the Canadiens team, giving them advice on how to persevere and maintain their health, in addition to shaking hands and posing for photos.
The team shared a video of them meeting with Dion to its Instagram page on Tuesday, along with the caption, “When Quebec emblems meet in Las Vegas…”
Fans in the comments section were delighted to see the 57-year-old looking lively and in good spirits. “God we missed her so so bad!! So glad to finally see you again Queen @celinedion!!” one fan wrote, while another user added, “Celine it’s a magic to see you again finally! Stay strong and healthy! We miss you so badly!!!”
The five-time Grammy winner’s appearance comes after she revealed in December 2022 her diagnosis of Stiff-Person Syndrome, a rare condition marked by uncontrolled and severe muscle spasms that affects one in a million individuals.
“As you know, I’ve always been an open book. And I wasn’t ready to say anything before,” she said a Dec. 8 video. “But I’m ready now… ’I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.”
After explaining her symptoms and how her team came to the conclusion of her diagnosis, Dion added, “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. I have to admit it’s been a struggle. All I know is singing, it’s what I’ve done all my life.”
As a result, Dion’s 2023 tour dates were either canceled or pushed back to 2024.
See Dion chat with hockey players post-game in the video below.
This article originally appeared on Billboard U.S.
