It was the singer’s first performance since she announced her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis.
WASHINGTON — Celine Dion marked her musical return in a big way during the Olympics Opening Ceremony.
The Grammy-award winning singer gave an emotional performance of Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” (“Hymn to Love”) as the finale of the roughly four-hour spectacle.
The Canadian singer had been rumored to be a performer at the Olympics Opening Ceremony. She is one of many artists, including fellow pop stars Lady Gaga and Aya Nakamura, that lent their talents to ring in the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On a page dedicated to Dior’s contributions to the opening ceremony, the media guide referred to “a world star, for a purely grandiose, superbly scintillating finale.”
For Friday’s performance, Dion’s pearl outfit was indeed designed by Dior. Speaking on French television, the Paris organizing committee’s director of design and costume for ceremonies, Daphné Bürki, recalled Dion’s enthusiasm for the opportunity.
“When we called Celine Dion one year ago she said yes straight away,” Bürki said.
Is Celine Dion French?
Dion is not actually French — the French Canadian is from Quebec — but she has a strong connection to the country and the Olympics.
Dion’s first language is French, and she has dominated the charts in France and other French-speaking countries. (She also won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest with a French-language song … representing Switzerland.) And early in her English-language career — even before “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic” — she was tapped to perform “The Power of The Dream,” the theme song for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Rumors of Dion’s performance circled as the Parade of Nations got underway on Friday.
Team Great Britain even dropped a reference to the “Titanic,” where Dion’s hit song “My Heart Will Go On” is featured.
Celine Dion’s Olympics performance marks her return to performing years after was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome in late 2022, causing her to postpone a tour.
Since the health announcement, Dion has kept a low profile with very few public appearances.
In February, the singer received a standing ovation at this year’s Grammys when she made a surprise appearance to present Taylor Swift a Grammy for album of the year.
That was the beginning of a comeback.
The rare neurological disorder causes rigid muscles and painful muscle spasms, which were affecting Dion’s ability to walk and sing. In June, at the premiere of the documentary “I Am: Celine Dion” she told The Associated Press that returning required therapy, “physically, mentally, emotionally, vocally.”
“So that’s why it takes a while. But absolutely why we’re doing this because I’m already a little bit back,” she said.
What is stiff-person syndrome?
Stiff-person syndrome is a condition characterized by muscles that tense uncontrollably, and a heightened sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch, and emotional distress, which can set off muscle spasms, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
“Unfortunately these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life,” Dion said at the time. “Sometimes causing difficulty when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal chords to sing the way I’m used to.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
