Celine Dion has
cancelled all her remaining live shows, telling fans she is not strong enough
to tour after being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder.
The singer revealed
last year she was suffering from Stiff-Person Syndrome (SPS), which was
affecting her singing.
Dion has now
cancelled all the shows she had scheduled for 2023 and 2024.
In a statement
posted on Twitter, the 55-year-old told fans: "I'm so sorry to
disappoint all of you once again.
"Even
though it breaks my heart, it's best that we cancel everything until I'm really
ready to be back on stage."
She added:
"I'm not giving up... and I can't wait to see you again!"
In December
2022, the French Canadian singer posted an emotional video
on Instagram to say she had been diagnosed with SPS and would not be
ready to start a European tour in February as planned.
She said the
disorder was causing muscle spasms and was "not allowing me to use my
vocal cords to sing the way I'm used to".
The Courage
World Tour began in 2019, and Dion completed 52 shows before the Covid-19
pandemic put the remainder on hold.
She later cancelled
the North American dates due to health problems, and delayed the European
leg of the tour.
On Friday, those
delayed European performances were cancelled altogether, including dates in
London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Stockholm and Zurich.
In a statement, Dion said she was "working really hard" to build her strength back up
A statement
released by her tour said the shows were being cancelled with "a sense of
tremendous disappointment".
"I'm
working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very
difficult even when you're 100%," the statement quoted Dion as saying.
The tour was to
have been Dion's first global concert tour in a decade and the first without
her husband-manager Rene Angelil, who died from cancer in 2016.
Dion is best
known for hits including My Heart Will Go On, Because You Loved Me, All By
Myself and It's All Coming Back To Me Now.
What is Stiff
Person Syndrome and is there a cure?
SPS is a rare
condition and not well understood.
According to the
National Institute for Neurological Disorders, it is characterised by
fluctuating muscle rigidity in the trunk and limbs and a heightened sensitivity
to stimuli such as noise, touch, and emotional distress, which can set off
muscle spasms.
Abnormal
postures, often hunched over and stiffened, are characteristic of the disorder,
the institute says.
People with SPS
can be too disabled to walk or move, or they are afraid to leave the house
because street noises, such as the sound of a horn, can trigger spasms and
falls.
Most individuals
with SPS have frequent falls and because they lack the normal defensive
reflexes; injuries can be severe.
While there is
no cure for SPS, there are treatments - including anti-anxiety medicines and
muscle relaxants - which can slow down its progression.
By Steven McIntosh, Entertainment reporter || BBC
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