A Night to Remember: Celine Dion’s Return to the Stage at the 2024 Olympics
Celine Dion has made her much-anticipated return to the stage. Closing the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, Dion delivered a heartfelt rendition of Edith Piaf’s “L’Hymne à l’amour” from the Eiffel Tower, her first live performance since revealing her stiff person syndrome diagnosis.
Illuminated by the Olympic rings, Dion dazzled in a silver Christian Dior gown adorned with crystals, complete with a cape and train. She appeared deeply moved as she looked over Paris, rain softly falling as she sang. Dion’s voice was unwavering, and she ended the song with a victorious fist in the air.
NBC’s Kelly Clarkson, visibly moved, admitted, “I actually can’t talk,” immediately following Dion’s performance.
In June, Dion premiered her Prime Video documentary, I Am: Celine Dion, which details her struggle with stiff person syndrome and her fight to maintain her vocal prowess. She shared that symptoms began almost two decades ago, and recently, she required 80 to 90 milligrams of Valium daily to perform. During her shows, if her voice cracked, she’d hand the microphone to the audience to sing along. After announcing her diagnosis in 2022, Dion stepped away from the public eye but began making her return with a surprise appearance at the Grammys this February.
At the New York premiere of her documentary, Dion expressed gratitude to her fans, saying, “Your presence in my journey has been a gift beyond measure. Your never-ending love and support over all these years have delivered me to this moment tonight.”
Dion’s first Olympic performance was in 1996, in Atlanta. Now, almost thirty years later, the “My Heart Will Go On” icon, hailed by Clarkson as a “gold-winner vocal athlete,” proved she remains an indomitable force in music.
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