Celine Dion cancels world tour as she continues to battle Stiff Person Syndrome
Celine Dion has cancelled her entire world tour just months after publicly disclosing she had been diagnosed with ‘Stiff Person Syndrome’.
The 55-year-old singer apologised to fans but said it wasn’t ‘fair’ to continue postponing gigs.
In a statement shared on social media, Dion said: “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 percent.
"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. I want you all to know, I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!”
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The statement said it was with ‘tremendous disappointment’ that the Courage World Tour had to be cancelled, explaining that the star had performed 52 dates of the tour before the Covid pandemic meant she had to postpone.
Dion was then busy filming her new movie Love Again, following which she revealed she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome.
The post also reassured fans who had bought tickets for the now-cancelled tour that they would be able to claim a refund.
It continued: "Tickets purchased for the forty-two cancelled dates will be refunded via the original point of sale. For further ticket inquiries or options, ticket holders should reach out to their original point of purchase."
Dion initially postponed her tour late last year after sharing that she had been diagnosed with the rare neurological disorder.
Stiff Person Syndrome, which is said to only affect one or two out of every million people, can cause rigidity of the limbs and torso as well as severe muscle spasms.
Sharing her diagnosis on Instagram back in December, Dion said: "While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all of the spasms that I’ve been having.
Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to.”
Dr. Simon Helfgott, a rheumatologist at Harvard Medical School, told NBC that such a diagnosis would make it ‘very, very challenging’ for Dion.
He told the outlet: "This is just such a severe diagnosis to have, especially if you’re an entertainer [on] the world-class type of stage.
"It’s going to be very, very challenging to be able to continue."
Claire Reid