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Celine Dion is feeling overjoyed and grateful after her surprise performance at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Canadian singer, who has not performed live in years following her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis, reflected on the momentous occasion in an emotional Instagram post on Friday.
“I’m honored to have performed tonight for the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony, and so full of joy to be back in one of my very favorite cities!” Dion wrote. “Most of all, I’m so happy to be celebrating these amazing athletes, with all their stories of sacrifice and determination, pain and perseverance.”
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IOC via Getty
She continued, “All of you have been so focused on your dream, and whether or not you take home a medal, I hope that being here means that it has come true for you! You should all be so proud. We know how hard you have worked to be the best of the best. Stay focused. Keep going. My heart is with you!”
Dion made her long-awaited return to the stage on Friday as she sang Édith Piaf’s “L’Hymne à l’Amour” from the top of the Eiffel Tower. The poignant moment moved NBC guest commentator and fellow vocalist Kelly Clarkson to tears.
And it turns out she wasn’t the only one. Several stars — including Tyra Banks, Jennifer Hudson, and Diane Warren — took to the comments section of Dion’s post to shower her with praise following the performance. Cyndi Lauper wrote, “Omg, dear lady, you kicked butt! See what hard work and belief does! I’m sending love. You are an inspiration.”
The five-time Grammy winner shed light on her battle with stiff-person syndrome — a rare neurological disorder that causes muscle stiffness and spasms — in her recent documentary, I Am: Celine Dion. The condition also affects her voice, which forced her to cancel her Las Vegas residency and her Courage World Tour.
She said the sensation was like “somebody’s strangling you” with their hands in an NBC News interview with Hoda Kotb.
“It’s like somebody’s pushing your larynx, pharynx this way,” Dion explained as she put her fingers to her throat. “It’s like you’re talking like that, and you cannot go higher or lower.”
Watch Dion perform in the clip above.
