Legendary R&B singer, Celine Dion has canceled all of her European tour dates for 2023 and 2024 as she continues to focus on her recovery from stiff-person syndrome.
The 55-year-old singer told fans she Is tremendously disappointed’ to ‘let them down’ as she revealed she’s unable to continue her 42-date tour.
Celine shocked the world last December when she tearfully shared that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Persons Syndrome, a rare neurological health condition that is turning her into a human statue.
The condition causes severe and constant muscle spasms which have been preventing the Canadian icon from performing.
Giving an update on Friday, Celine told fans that she’s been forced to cancel her tour dates but was ‘working really hard to build back’ her strength.
She said:
“I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again,” Dion said. “I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very 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. I want you all to know, I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!
Alongside the statement, Celine shared a full list of the dates that had been cancelled with cities across Belgium, Denmark and the UK included.
The statement added: ‘We do have every hope that someday soon, Celine will be able to come to all of these cities in Europe to perform for her amazing fans, but that time simply is not now.’
It comes after Celine had successfully completed over 50 dates of the Courage World Tour across North America before Covid-19 struck
The dates were part of Dion’s “Courage World Tour,” which launched in Sept. 2019. Dion was able to play 52 shows in North America before the pandemic forced her to postpone the run.
While she was supposed to return to the road in spring 2022, she canceled her final stretch of North American shows and then postponed the start of her European run, citing unspecified health issues both times.
Then in Dec. 2022, she postponed the concerts again and revealed that she’d been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome.
The rare neurological condition is “characterized by fluctuating muscle rigidity in the trunk and limbs,” as well as a “heightened sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch, and emotional distress, which can set off muscle spasms” (per the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes).
