“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 difficult even when you’re 100%.”
Celine Dion has officially canceled the entire remainder of her Courage World Tour.
“I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again,” Dion wrote Friday on Instagram alongside a press release listing some of 42 affected tour stops across Europe. “I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be 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,” she continued. “I want you all to know, I’m not giving up … and I can’t wait to see you again!”
The “My Heart Will Go On” singer revealed in December that she was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, which the National Institutes of Health calls “a rare, progressive neurological disorder” that can stiffen leg, arm and torso muscles — and cause severe muscle spasms.
Stiff-person syndrome affects roughly one in a million people.
The condition can be so debilitating that many can develop a hunched posture that eventually prevents them from walking or independently moving entirely. The syndrome can also lead to frequent falls as a result of normal reflexes being impeded by stiffened muscles.
“The 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,” said Dion in December. “I have to admit it’s been a struggle. All I know is singing, it’s what I’ve done all my life.”
Dion had already completed the 52 concerts comprising the North American leg of her tour when COVID-19 saw concerts shuttered in March 2020, per USA Today. In December, Dion said the European leg, which is now canceled, merely had to be postponed.
Those who purchased tickets for any of the 42 canceled shows will be refunded, according to Dion’s post.
The five-time Grammy winner received a wave of support from fans on social media, including former pro wrestler The Iron Sheik. Dion’s fans, who recently protested outside Rolling Stone after the magazine left her off their “greatest singers” list, will undoubtedly stand by her.
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