Her appearance comes more than a year after she was diagnosed with SPS, a rare and incurable neurological disease.
Celine Dion just returned to the spotlight amid her ongoing battle with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS).
The singer hit the stage to present the final award of the night at the Grammy Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles, surprising the audience and everyone at home with her appearance.
It was easily the most emotional moment of the show, as Dion, 55, has kept a very low profile since she was diagnosed with SPS in December 2022.
Celine Dion makes a surprise appearance to present Album of the Year at the 2024 #Grammys pic.twitter.com/oNT4zmBTyk
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 5, 2024
@THR
The audience got on their feet the second she stepped out, escorted by her son René-Charles, before getting choked up. “When I say that I’m happy to be here, I really mean it with my heart,” she began, looking gorgeous oversized coat and short ‘do.
“Those who have been blessed enough to be here at the Grammy Awards, must never take for granted the tremendous love and joy that music brings to our lives and to people all around the world,” she said, before announcing the nominees for Album of the year.
The award went to Taylor Swift and while some felt the singer ignored Dion when she came up to collect her trophy, the pair were spotted hugging backstage following the show.
Taylor Swift fully ignoring Celine Dion like the disrespect even Celine was like… que? pic.twitter.com/sO3TSu9K0k
— Chris Murphy (@christress) February 5, 2024
@christress
Dion first opened up about her diagnosis in 2022, in an emotional video in which she revealed her health problems and announced she’d be postponing her concerts in 2023.
“Recently, I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological condition called stiff-person syndrome, which affects something like one in a million people,” she said at the time. “While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know that this is what has been causing all of the spasms that I’ve been having.”
She later canceled her tour in May 2023.
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Her appearance comes ahead of a new documentary at Prime Video, titled, I Am: Céline Dion.
“This last couple of years has been such a challenge for me, the journey from discovering my condition to learning how to live with and manage it, but not to let it define me,” she said in a press release announcing the doc.
“As the road to resuming my performing career continues, I have realized how much I have missed it, of being able to see my fans. During this absence, I decided I wanted to document this part of my life, to try to raise awareness of this little-known condition, to help others who share this diagnosis,” she continued.
The doc doesn’t currently have a premiere date.
