Celine Dion’s rare public appearance is a sign of boldness against her syndrome condition
Celine Dion made a rare public appearance at the Grammy Awards 2024 defying all odds of her condition caused by stiff person syndrome.
The 55-year-old music icon approached the stage to give the album of the year award, to a standing ovation at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles as her song The Power of Love played.
She was wearing a white gown that was hidden by a long brown coat and sparkled jewellery, and she remarked, “When I say that I’m happy to be here, I really mean it from my heart.”
“Those who have been blessed enough to be here at the Grammy awards must never take for granted to tremendous joy that music brings to our lives and to people around the world.”
Since Dion’s surprise attendance was not previously announced, it was the Grammy Awards’ kept secret.
But as the biggest night in music began, a video of the singer of My Heart Will Go On pulling up to the venue went viral on social media.
“Celine Dion is in the building for the #Grammys with stylist Law Roach,” the Hollywood Reporter tweeted.
The singer also presented Taylor Swift with Album of the Year for her album Midnight. See footage below:
📹 | Celine Dion presents Taylor Swift with Album of the Year at the 2024 #GRAMMYs
— Taylor Swift News (@TSwiftNZ) February 5, 2024
Dion has been avoiding the spotlight in recent years as she works to recover from a neurological ailment that is uncommon and chronic and causes excruciating muscle spasms and stiffness.
The six-time Grammy winner disclosed that in December 2022, she received a stiff person syndrome diagnosis.
“I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through,” she said with tears in a video posted on social media at the time.
“Recently I have been diagnosed with a very rare neurological syndrome, which affects something like one in a million people.”