Celine Dion Cancels Entire Tour as She Suffers SPS Which Turns People into 'Statues' — Doctor Explains Rare Condition

• Canadian singer Celine Dion has been criticized for her slim figure for a while, but she responded to the body-shamers in the classiest way possible.
• Her devastating diagnosis made her cancel several upcoming tour dates with an official announcement on social media.
• Although worried, her real fans have shown overwhelming support for Dion online.

Celine Dion needs no introduction. With a captivating voice and some of the best hits in the music industry, she has become a living legend all over the world. Her beginnings as a teen singer in Canada saw her enter and win the 1988 "Eurovision" contest, in which she represented Switzerland with the French song "Ne partez pas sans moi."

In 1991, Dion sang "Beauty and the Beast" with Peabo Bryson for the similarly titled Disney film. While the song earned her first Grammy, it wasn't until 1997 that she became a household name. The hit "All By Myself," recorded in 1996, truly showed her powerful voice; it is still remembered as one of the best covers of that song.

Her next hit, "My Heart Will Go On," from the original soundtrack of James Cameron's "Titanic," went viral even before the term "viral" had been coined. There was no TikTok at the time either.

But thanks to the success of the song and the film, Dion sold around 50 million albums between '97 and '98. Her career only rose from there. "Let's Talk About Love" continued her streak of chart-topping numbers, but the late '90s were only the start of her triumph. What followed was over 20 years of number-one albums and sold-out tours.

For years, it looked like nothing could stop the songstress, who recently celebrated her 55th birthday. Therefore, her most recent appearances immediately concerned fans, and the worries went into overdrive when Dion canceled her tour.

Fans and Haters Noticed Her Skinny Figure

Dion has always had a slim physique. She would display her beautiful waist during most of her performances, as she loved wearing tight-fitting dresses. However, people online and her fans began noticing her significant weight loss, which seemed to worsen in the last few years.

A recent Twitter thread showed a photo, speculated to be from 2019, where the singer looked skinnier than ever. Some Twitter users said it was from before the singer's Courage World Tour because she had short hair during the tour. However, others focused on her body, with user celinedionca_ writing, "Probably early 2019 because she is extremely skinny."

While some fans seemed genuinely concerned, others quickly criticized her. User xkeyxkey tweeted, "Celine Dion, please eat a sandwich. You're skinny as hell. You need food and gain 10 or 15 pounds. You'd look and feel better! Please!"

Another user wrote, "Doesn't Celine Dion know how horrible she looks? She's got to look in the mirror every day and see how skinny and emaciated she is. [Is] she sick, or is she doing this to herself?"

Meanwhile, tuffgong73 tweeted, "Im impressed she's still alive! She's unhealthy skinny. Her vegetarian or vegan diet haven't keep her healthy as she thought. @celinedion now has a condition anyway 🙄."

While many criticized the songstress, others rushed to her defense. User emaglem called out the body-shamers with, "But EVERYONE talking about her appearance she's so skinny, she's like a skeleton, she has anorexia (as if anorexia was a sin something to gossip & judge). Next time SHUT UP ABOUT SOMEONE'S HEALTH, WHATEVER THE ILLNESS IS. #CelineDion much love ❤️."

Normally, celebrities ignore such comments – both for their mental health and because it's not worth fighting with anyone – but Dion addressed the criticism during the first night of the Courage Tour in Quebec, Canada, in 2019.

Entertainment Tonight's Lauren Zima asked what she would say to people criticizing her body. First, Dion asked, "Is there anything wrong about my body?" while lifting her arm and showing muscle strength.

"When I was 12 years old, my face was rounder because you have more fat when you're younger…But I've always been very thin," she elegantly answered Zima's question before making a fantastic point regarding the entertainment industry:

"If you don't want to be criticized, you are in the wrong place. I take the positive. I take what's good for me. I leave behind what is not good for me. I let my management take care of that, and if it hurts anyone, they will take care of that. And I need to focus on what's right for me, how I feel, and, last but not least, you can't please everybody."

Days after she addressed her critics, the singer had to postpone some of her Courage World Tour dates because of a throat virus and orders from her doctor to take a week-long rest. Nonetheless, she came back stronger and was more grateful than ever for her fans. Dion appreciated them, saying:

"I want [my fans] to know how much I appreciate the fact that they came to my invitation, in a way, which they accepted, and they were absolutely amazing guests. I just wanted them to know that through the years, through my whole life… They have been there for me."

Dion Has Been Diagnosed with a Crippling Condition

On January 14, 2016, the singer lost her husband, talent manager René Angélil, who was instrumental to her rise in the music industry and ultimately became the love of her life. They were married for 21 years but had known each other for over 30. During his last moments, Dion told him to "stop worrying."

Two days later -- on Angélil's birthday -- her brother, Daniel Dion, passed away, too. Ironically, both men died from the same type of cancer, which was an overwhelming loss for the singer. However, she believes her late husband came to help her brother, who was too weak to go alone.

During an interview with ABC News, Dion was asked what she missed most and the hardest part of moving forward without them. "When I have to make decisions now," the singer answered. She wondered if her husband would approve of certain things or what he would think about some song choices.

"But after a while, am I gonna have signs all the time?" she asked. "Or do I have to make decisions as a woman? As a mother? As an artist?"

Another tragedy struck the Dion family in 2022 when the artist took to Instagram to reschedule the European leg of her Courage World Tour. She posted a tearful video in April, showing her extreme gratitude to her fans for their patience, along with a message of encouragement to the people of Ukraine.

She apologized for canceling the tour again, explaining that she had health issues to deal with. She then delved a little into her condition and treatment:

"I am doing a little bit better...but I'm still experiencing some spasms. I need to be in top shape when I'm on stage. I honestly can't wait, but I'm just not there yet... I'm doing my very best to get back to the level that I need to be so that I can give 100% at my shows because that's what you deserve. - Céline xx"

At the time, her 2022 shows were postponed to 2023 and 2024. But on May 26, 2023, Dion took to Twitter to announce the official cancellation of the tour due to her health. The singer wrote:

"I'm so sorry to disappoint all of you once again... and even though it breaks my heart, it's best that we cancel everything until I'm really ready to be back on stage... I'm not giving up… and I can't wait to see you again! – Celine xx"

The singer was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, or SPS, and announced it publicly in December 2022. According to Dr. Scott Newsome on the YouTube Channel Rare Disease Report, SPS is a condition where people's muscles become rigid or tight, limiting their mobility because it mainly affects the lower back, hips, and legs. It affects one in a million people globally.

Seeing how demanding a task being on stage is, even if the performer doesn't dance, it made sense for Dion to cancel her tour dates until she got better.

In January 2023, the New York Post wrote a story about Andrea and Ian Rawlins, who sympathized with the singer's condition because they had dealt with it for a while. Ian Rawlins has had SPS for over 18 years, and his wife, Andrea, explained:

"It's called stiff person syndrome because basically, apart from the spasms, you become like a statue within your own body."

Therefore, some describe it as a condition that turns people into "human statues." Unfortunately, it also causes spasms that lead to other physical problems. The cause is unknown, although some doctors believe it results from the deficit of a particular enzyme.

In an interview for CNN, SPS patient Ingrid Steppan described her condition: "My mind knows I'm OK, but my body won't cooperate. If I try to go outside, my body completely stiffens up, and I will fall over flat. You can put a sticker on my head and put me up for sale. I'm a statue for your lawn."

The Overwhelming Support from Fans

Despite how disappointed they were due to the tour cancellation, fans on social media expressed their support for Dion. User mjreym wrote, "Thank you for your strength. I shall be awaiting your return! 🤍"

Mara Dolan tweeted, "Love and peace and strength and healing to you. We like you just the way you are ❤️," while the fan page CelineOracle added, "We love and miss you, Céline! We'll always be here for you ❤️."

Other comments were just as beautiful. User mfjabbur wrote, "Hope you get better soon. I watched your concert in 2017, and it was one of the best days of my life! A dream come true, really. I'm looking forward to see you again on stage. Until then, please continue to take good care of yourself."

Another fan, Only4RM, told her to focus on herself, writing, "Take care and don't worry about disappointing. You've given us enough beauty to entertain ourselves with until you can be back on your own terms. Fanatique depuis ‘histoire d'amour ou d'amitié.’ ❤️."

It's clear that her real fans are only concerned about her health and want her to get better no matter how long they have to wait to see a live performance from the legend. Everyone here at Amomama sends Dion their best wishes for a speedy recovery.