It was a breathtaking comeback that no one could have predicted.
Celine Dion has disappeared from public view since revealing to the world in 2022 that she had been secretly battling a rare, incurable neurological disorder that could leave her unable to walk or sing.
Forced to cancel tour dates across North America and Europe, fans feared “tighty-man” syndrome would rob the French-Canadian chart icon of her illustrious music career.
But her world was finally set right when, at the climax of the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday, Celine appeared as a tiny figure clad in a sparkling silver outfit atop the Eiffel Tower’s 187-foot height.
Her unmistakable voice was powerful and commanding.
Her breathtaking performance captivated France and the world.
Brave Celine, 56, appeared in public for the first time since 2020.
With the Eiffel Tower in the background, her flawless rendition of Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” truly captivated the audience.
She triumphantly told fans: “I am honoured to perform at the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony tonight and so happy to be back in one of my favourite cities.”
“More than anything, I’m thrilled to be able to celebrate these incredible athletes, whose stories of sacrifice and determination, pain and perseverance are incredible.”
The five-time Grammy Award winner revealed that her rare condition causes her muscles to tense up uncontrollably.
In the Prime Video documentary “I Am: Celine Dion,” released last month, she spoke about her desire to return to the stage.
But she revealed the harrowing reality of living with her disease, sharing footage of herself suffering a 10-minute attack that left her stiff and unable to move.
All she could do was groan in pain and cry in agony while the doctor administered the medicine.
So when a courageous Celine stepped into the spotlight on Friday with an emotional appearance beneath the Olympic rings, fans were delighted to see her in good spirits.
She dazzled in a shimmering, floor-length dress with a spectacular train.
And despite the terrible pain that had secretly plagued her for years, she showed no outward signs of the syndrome that renders sufferers as immobile as human statues.
Celine won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1998 for the ballad “My Heart Will Go On,” which was on the soundtrack to the film “Titanic,” but took a break from singing in 2014 after her beloved husband and longtime manager, Rene Angélil, was diagnosed with throat cancer.
Although his Las Vegas shows resumed, two family tragedies in early 2016 forced him to retreat again.
Rene, who became her first manager when she was 12, died at the age of 73, just two days after his brother Daniel, 59, died. He had been suffering from brain, throat and tongue cancer.
Recalling meeting her husband, Celine revealed that she “fell in love” with him “instantly,” adding, “Not in a romantic way, I was 12 years old.”
“I loved the way he treated everyone around me, including my whole family and myself.”
“You learn to live with it.”
Celine was devastated when she lost Rene.
But the support of her sons, Rene Charles, 23, and twins, Nelson and Eddie, 13, gave her the strength to return to music.
In 2019, she released the studio album Courage, which featured Sia, Sam Smith, and David Guetta.
I have had health problems for a long time.
However, the promotional tour for the album was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and then cancelled due to her illness.
In the documentary, Celine candidly reveals that for around 17 years she had been hiding symptoms of stiff-person vocal syndrome, which causes spasms in the vocal cords that make her voice hoarse, thin and strained.
For over a year, the film team followed the star’s journey.
It was the first time she allowed the cameras to capture her private life, and she appeared to lose control of almost every muscle.
Even though she was surrounded by doctors, specialists and physiotherapists, her humor, charm and spontaneity still shone through.
This is remarkable considering that Celine was taking up to 90mg of Valium a day for pain relief before she admitted she “didn’t know it would be fatal.”
She continued, “I’ve been dealing with health issues for a long time and it’s been really difficult to confront these challenges and speak out about everything I’ve been through.”
Celine told fans the disease causes muscles in the torso and limbs to spasm and stiffen, causing extreme pain, but she vowed to return to the stage even if she had to “crawl”.
And getting there wasn’t easy.
While she waits for the “miracle” cure, she undergoes rigorous “motor, physical and vocal therapy” five days a week.
“I hope we’ll find a miracle, I hope scientific research will find a way to cure this disease, but for now I have to learn to live with it,” she said in April.
In tribute to her stunning return this weekend, she added at the time: “My goal is to see the Eiffel Tower one more time.”
“For four years I’ve been saying I’m not going back, I’m ready, I’m not ready.
My goal is to see the Eiffel Tower again.
“As things stand, I can’t be here and say, ‘Yes, it’s four months away.’ I don’t know.”
This weekend, Celine proved that while her body may be frail, her voice is not.
And she poured her heart and soul into a song that Edith Piaf had written for her lover, the boxer Marcel Cerdan, who died in a plane crash on his way to see her in 1949.
As Celine fought back tears, French athletes Teddy Riner and Marie-Josée Perec lit the Olympic cauldron attached to a giant model hot air balloon.
The moment marks 28 years since the singer made her Olympic debut in Atlanta in 1996.
And on Friday, she told participants at this year’s games: “You’ve all worked hard for your dreams, and whether you bring home a medal or not, I hope that being here means that your dreams have come true.”
Celine’s latest climactic performance will likely ease the fears of many fans that her singing career is over.
For now, her music will continue on for a long time to come.