‘Encore’?: Paris buzzes with Céline Dion comeback rumours after stiff-person syndrome diagnosis
Rumours are flying in Paris that Céline Dion could be set for a live comeback, years after stepping away from the spotlight due to her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis, with a series of billboards appearing in the French city.
A series of large signs have popped up in Paris over the course of recent days, bearing the names of her song titles such as ‘Pour Que tu M’aimes Encore’, ‘Power of Love’, and ‘My Heart Will Go On’.
It comes after French media outlet La Presse reported over the weekend that Dion is set to perform a series of live dates at the city’s Paris La Défense Arena in September and October this year, with the singer reportedly set to perform two dates per week in a residency. However, this has not yet been confirmed by Dion or her representatives.
The speculation has become particularly intense in the context that the singer has not given any full live concert performances since 2020, as part of her Courage tour that ended up being curtailed due to the outbreak of Covid.
Subsequently, in 2022, Dion revealed that she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological condition that causes severe muscle stiffness and spasms, which has made it almost impossible for her to perform since then.
Despite this, the French-Canadian power ballad icon made a triumphant comeback during the opening ceremony of the Olympics in 2024, being hosted in Paris.
At the culmination of the event, she made a surprise appearance by performing ‘Hymne à L’amour’ live from the top of the Eiffel Tower, marking the first time she had performed since revealing her diagnosis two years prior.
She subsequently released the documentary film I Am: Celine Dion at the same time via Amazon MGM Studios, peeling back the curtain on the effects of her health condition, performing, and mothering her children following the death of her husband René Angélil in 2016.
Later in 2024, Dion also performed a selection of hits including ‘Power of Love’ and ‘I’m Alive’ at a fashion show in Saudi Arabia, but she has not made any further public appearances since then.
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