When the song ‘My heart will go on’ played in the background as Jack and Rose lived their love story in the 1997 classic ‘Titanic’ everyone was left in awe of the incredible voice. The person behind the voice? Five-time Grammy award-winning artist Celine Dion. And as we inch closer to the Paris Olympics, the French-Canadian singer has raised every fan’s heartbeat once again as there have been murmurs about her making a comeback on stage for the event’s opening ceremony.

More so because she hasn’t performed live ever since she was forced to take a backseat after being diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome. But as anticipation builds, let’s dive deeper into Celine’s struggles with the rare disease and her rumored opening ceremony performance in Paris.

Celine Dion’s shocking diagnosis affected her career

It was back in 2019 when Dion gave her fans what they wanted and began the Courage World Tour. But as she was beginning to catch stride, the tour had to be put on hold just a few months later after the entire world was struck by the COVID-19 pandemic. A couple of years passed by and the show never went back on the road. And when Dion was preparing to resume the tour after a long hiatus, she faced another massive setback, this time a little more personal.

Taking her fans by surprise with a shocking statement made two years ago, the singer revealed that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome. What’s that? You might ask. Well, a rare neurological disorder that affects one in a million people, leading to muscle stiffness and painful spasms, even at the slightest over-exposure to touch, noise, and emotional distress. But what hurt her the most was that the disease struck her most powerful tool. HER MAGICAL VOICE!

With no choice left, she was forced to cancel her entire tour last summer and Dion was extremely upset about disappointing her fans yet again, “I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again. I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%. It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again.”

Extensively covered in the documentary ‘I Am: Celine Dion’ released on Amazon Prime last month, Dion’s “love letter to her fans” gives a heartbreaking insight into her day-to-day struggles since her diagnosis. Talking about her craft during one of the scenes in the doc, Dion even compared singing with her condition to “somebody strangling you.” Sure enough, Celine has not made a lot of public appearances since then and hasn’t performed live at all. But that might all change in Paris!

Are The Rumors True?

“I want you all to know, I’m not giving up.” While announcing the cancellation of her world tour, Celine gave her fans a glimmer of hope with this inspirational statement. Surely, we will get to witness one of the greatest singers of this era perform live one more time. Right? Well, the rumors certainly say so. As thousands of athletes from all across the world hop on a boat in Paris’ Seine River, Dion is expected to make her highly anticipated comeback alongside some of the biggest artists in the world.

Adding fuel to those rumors, Dion has already touched down in Paris as she was spotted at the city’s Royal Monceau hotel. And just a little bit down the road to her stay, pop star Lady Gaga is also said to have lodged. Moreover, fans have been on Cloud 9 ever since it was reported by a French journalist that the two singers rehearsed a duet of “La Vie en Rose” and could sing the same song at the opening ceremony, taking the world by storm.

While fans are excited about Celine Dion’s possible comeback, they were also left wondering how much the singer would make for this rare appearance. According to a report by TMZ, she will add $2 million to her bank account for her opening performance gig in the Olympics. While it might sound like a massive amount, seeing Dion back on stage after so many years doing what she does best might be worth every penny. Do you agree?

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.