Celine Dion diagnosed with stiff person syndrome
Neurologist Dr. Scott Newsome, director of the Johns Hopkins Stiff Person Syndrome Center, explains the popular singer's diagnosis.
Celine Dion has gone to great lengths "to continue performing for her beloved and loyal fans" following her stiff person syndrome diagnosis.
According to the synopsis for a new documentary about her life, the "intimate" project "takes viewers on a journey inside Celine’s past and present as she reveals her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) and the lengths she has gone to continue performing."
The documentary, obtained by Amazon MGM Studios, is an "emotional, energetic, and poetic love letter to music" that "captures more than a year of filming as the legendary singer navigates her journey toward living an open and authentic life amidst illness," a press release for the documentary said Tuesday.
Before revealing her diagnosis of the potentially debilitating disease in December 2022, Dion was forced in 2021 to postpone her Las Vegas residency to focus on her health while "learning how to live with and manage [her disease], but not to let it define me."
Celine Dion hopes to get back to performing following her stiff person syndrome diagnosis. (Simone Joyner/Getty Images)
After sharing her diagnosis, she canceled all of her world tour dates for 2023 and 2024.
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"While we're still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what has been causing all of the spasms I've been having," she said at the time in an Instagram video. "Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I'm used to."
Celine Dion performing in Las Vegas in 2015. (Denise Truscello/WireImage)
SPS is defined by the Cleveland Clinic as "a rare autoimmune movement disorder that affects the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). People with this condition first experience a stiffening of the muscles of their trunk followed, over time, by the development of stiffness and rigidity in the legs and other muscles in the body."
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The "My Heart Will Go On" singer this week called the "last couple of years" a "challenge," adding, "As the road to resuming my performing career continues, I have realized how much I have missed it, of being able to see my fans."
The "My Heart Will Go On" singer said she realized how much she misses performing for her fans after she was forced to cancel all of her shows over her diagnosis. (Alice Chiche/AFP via Getty Images)
She added, "During this absence, I decided I wanted to document this part of my life, to try to raise awareness of this little-known condition, to help others who share this diagnosis."
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The documentary, directed by Oscar nominee Irene Taylor, doesn’t yet have a release date but will eventually be available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
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