Celine Dion has been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (SPS), which causes her muscles to tense uncontrollably.
The condition ultimately leaves sufferers like “human statues” as it gradually locks the body into rigid positions, eventually leaving people unable to walk or talk.
Although there is no cure for the condition, there are treatments to slow the progression, with Celine revealing that she is doing everything she can to minimize the symptoms.
The 54-year-old singer addressed her fans in a tearful Instagram post on Thursday as she revealed it had forced her to cancel her European tour.
Heartbreaking: Celine Dion has been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (SPS), which causes her muscles to tense uncontrollably
She wrote: ‘Hello everyone, I’m sorry it took so long to contact you. I miss you all so much and can’t wait to be on stage to talk to you in person.
As you know I’ve always been an open book and I wasn’t ready to say anything before but I’m ready now
“I have been dealing with health issues for a long time and it has been very difficult for me to face my challenges and talk about all that I have been through.
‘Recently I was diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called stiff person syndrome which affects 1 in a million people
While we’re still learning about this rare disease, we now know it’s what caused all the spasms I’ve had
Unfortunately, these spasms affect all aspects of my daily life sometimes causing difficulty when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing like I used to.
It pains me to tell you today that this means that I will not be ready to start my tour of Europe again in February
I have a great team of doctors working alongside me to help me get better and my precious children supporting and helping me.
I work hard with my sports medicine therapist every day to build up my strength and my ability to perform again, but I have to admit it has been a struggle.
All I know is sing, that’s what I’ve done all my life and that’s what I love to do the most
I miss you so much, I miss seeing you all on stage performing for you I always give my 100% when I do my show but my condition now allows me to give that to you now
For me to join you I have no choice but to focus on my health right now and I hope I am on the road to recovery
It’s my goal and I’m doing everything I can to recover
I want to thank you so much for your wishes, love and support on my social networks. It means a lot to me. Take care of yourself. Be well. I love you guys so much and I really hope to see you again very soon.
Celine first hinted at her health issues in January when she canceled the North American dates for her Courage World Tour from March 9 to April 22.
She was forced to quit the shows because of “severe and persistent muscle spasms,” according to a press release posted on her website.
The announcement came three months after she had to cancel the start of her return residency in Las Vegas for the same health issue.
A statement on her website indicates that Celine “has recently been treated for severe and persistent muscle spasms that prevent her from functioning, and her recovery is taking longer than she expected,” according to her website.
“His medical team continues to assess and treat the condition.”
She herself said: “I was really hoping that I would be ready to go now, but I guess I just have to be more patient and follow the diet prescribed by my doctors.
The superstar singer added, “There’s a lot of planning and preparation going into our shows, so we have to make decisions today that will affect plans two months from now.” I will be so happy to be back to full health, as well as all of us to overcome this pandemic, and I can’t wait to be back on stage.
She continued, “In the meantime, I have been so touched by all the words of encouragement everyone has sent me on social media. I feel your love and support and it means the world to me.
Over the past two decades, Celine has become known as the “Queen of Las Vegas” due to her extremely successful residencies there.
After retiring from her famed residency at Caesars Palace in 2019, she was flown back to Sin City to perform at the new Resorts World on the Strip.
It was the latest tragedy to befall Celine following the death of her husband at the age of 73 in 2016.
Celine shares three sons with her late husband – René-Charles, 20, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 11.
She met René in Canada when she was a 12-year-old budding singer and he was already 38. He became her manager.
His devotion to nurturing his career would have led him to mortgage his house in order to be able to finance his 1981 debut album, The Voice of the Good God.
René and Céline officially started dating in 1987 – when she was just 19 and he was 45 – and in 1991 they got engaged.
It was not until 1993, however, that she made their romance public, slipping the announcement into the liner notes of her album The Color Of My Love.
In December 1994, they were married at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, which became the site of the baptism and funeral of their eldest son René-Charles.
René died aged 73 of a heart attack while suffering from terminal throat cancer in January 2016. Two days later, Céline lost her brother Daniel to throat cancer.
In August, Céline released a French-language tribute album titled Encore un soir, featuring a single of the same name which was a hit in French-speaking markets.