As Celine Dion continues to fight her protracted health struggle with Stiff Person Syndrome, she has decided to cancel her upcoming tour.
The singer, who is 55 years old and is now on her Courage World Tour, has made an official notification regarding the cancellation of all 42 upcoming dates on her website and throughout her social media platforms.
A post that she made on her Instagram was captioned with the following message: “It is with tremendous disappointment that we have to announce today that the cancellation of the Courage World Tour.”
Dion is reported to have said the following in a statement: “I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you one again. I am putting forth a lot of effort to build up my strength again, but travelling can be really challenging even when you are feeling completely healthy. It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it crushes my heart, it’s better that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again. Even though it’s not fair to you, it’s not fair to me either. I just want everyone to know that I’m not going to give up… and I can’t wait to see you all again.”
The announcement comes one month after Celine Dion released a new song titled “Love Again” as the lead single from the soundtrack to her upcoming film of the same name. The film is also titled “Love Again.” When Dion sings in the film about finding hope and giving love another chance, which also happens to be the theme of the movie, her voice is stronger than it has ever been.
Dion plays the role of a matchmaker for Priyanka Chopra and Sam Heughan in the romantic comedy that was written and directed by Jim Strouse. The movie Love Again is now playing in theaters.
In a moving video that she released to Instagram back in December, Dion broke the news to her fans about her devastating illness.
“Hello everyone, I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get in touch with you, but please know how much I miss you and how excited I am to finally be able to chat to you in person on stage. Dion started out her statement while dressed in an all-black ensemble. “As you are aware, I have always been a book that can be opened at any page; however, I was not ready to say anything in the past, but I am ready now.”
The singer of “My Heart Will Go On” revealed that despite the fact that she has discovered the root cause of her health problems, the disease continues to have a significant impact on both her day-to-day life and the way that she performs on stage.
“While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know that this is what’s been causing all of the spasms that I’ve been having,” she stated. “Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes making it difficult for me to walk, and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I am accustomed to doing so,” she said.
The Cleveland Clinic estimates that only around one in every one million persons are affected by the incurable neurological disorder known as stiff person syndrome. Due to the disease’s exceptional rarity, the condition cannot be cured.
Symptoms, which can take months or even years to develop and may include violent spasms and the inability to even walk, can occur at any age but usually within the ages of 30 and 60. The Cleveland Clinic, which was founded in 1921 and is credited with pioneering many medical breakthroughs, also says that twice as many women as men suffer from the disease.
The Mayo Clinic defines the condition known as “Stiff Person Syndrome” as “a rare disorder of motor function characterized by involuntary stiffness of axial muscles and superimposed painful muscle spasms, which are often induced by startle or emotional stimuli.”