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Celine Dion lost control of muscles amid stiff-person syndrome battle

Despite a progressive and incurable autoimmune disease, the singer still has hopes of one day returning to the stage.
Celine Dion sings on stage
Posted at 2:20 PM, Dec 19, 2023

Celine Dion has lost control of her muscles amid her battle with stiff-person syndrome, her sister says.

Claudette Dion shared the update with Canadian website 7 Jours, which was translated from French.

"She's working hard, but she doesn't have control over her muscles. What breaks my heart is that she's always been disciplined," Claudette said, according to Daily Mail’s translation. "She's always worked hard. Our mother always told her, 'You're going to do it well, you're going to do it properly.'"

Celine's condition is progressive and incurable. Stiff-person syndrome is a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that causes muscle stiffness and spasms, limiting mobility and causing other symptoms like double vision and slurred speech, according to John Hopkins School of Medicine.

Celine has suffered muscle spasms for some time, and had to cancel her European tour earlier this year that was scheduled to run from Aug. 26 through April 22, 2024.

The singer still has hopes of performing once again, according to her sister.

"It's true that in both our dreams and hers, the goal is to return to the stage. In what capacity? I don't know," she said.

Progress on treating stiff-person syndrome has been slow, Claudette noted, being that it is rare.

"The vocal cords are muscles, and the heart is also a muscle," said Claudette. "This is what comes to get me, because it's a one-out-of-a-million case. The scientists haven't done that much research because it didn't affect that many people."

Celine revealed in December 2022 that she had been living with the illness. 

Celine Dion cancels tour dates as health issues persist
Celine Dion sings during a special live event at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles.

Celine Dion cancels tour dates as health issues persist

The singer recently announced she has a rare autoimmune disease.

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