Celine Dion brought the Paris Olympics opening ceremony to a magnificent end with her first performance since announcing her diagnosis of a rare neurological disorder in 2022.
Dressed in a glittery silver gown, she delivered a stirring rendition of L’hymne à l’amour, co-written and famously performed by French singer Édith Piaf, on a platform partway up the lighted Eiffel Tower and beneath glowing Olympic rings. She was accompanied by a pianist.
Immediately after the performance, Kelly Clarkson, one of NBC’s commentators, choked up and teary, said, “I actually can’t talk.”
“People don’t know her story, what she’s been going through physically,” she added. “It’s just incredible what she’s overcome. And to have that moment — she’s a vocal athlete.”
Dion announced in 2022 she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a condition that has affected her ability to sing. She has since cut back significantly on public appearances.
She fuelled hype that she would perform at the opening ceremony when she was spotted in Paris this week.
Afterwards, the Canadian singer posted on social media saying she was honoured to have performed and “so full of joy to be back in one of my very favourite cities.”
“Most of all, I’m so happy to be celebrating these amazing athletes, with all their stories of sacrifice and determination, pain and perseverance,” she wrote. “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!”
It marked Dion’s second time performing at the Olympics. In 1996, she sang The Power of the Dream at the Summer Games in Atlanta, a clip of which the official Olympic social media accounts shared:
In an interview in June, the five-time Grammy winner said she had broken ribs as a result of the muscle spasms associated with stiff-person syndrome, which had made it difficult for her to sing.
She said at times it had felt like “somebody’s strangling you” when she tried to sing.
But she hit her high notes flawlessly in her comeback on Friday, earning high praise and drawing strong emotions from viewers, who hailed the performance as “beautiful” and “inspirational.”