Canadian singer Celine Dion announced on Thursday (8) that she would postpone her European tour, scheduled for February, due to a “very rare neurological problem” which is affecting her vocal abilities.

In a five-minute video posted on Instagram, she emotionally explained to her fans, in French and English, that she was suffering from “long-term health issues”.

“I was recently diagnosed with a very rare neurological condition known as ‘stiff person syndrome,'” she explained.

This problem involves progressive muscle stiffness. It mainly affects the hips and extremities, and causes the patient to spasm.

The issue prevents “using the vocal cords,” Dion explains in the video. “We don’t yet know much about this rare disease, but we now know that it is the cause of the muscle spasms I suffer from,” he adds.

The interpreter of “My heart will go on” had already mentioned these spasms last spring, which forced her to also postpone her European shows.

As part of the European “Courage World Tour”, Dion planned to start his shows in the Czech Republic in February.

“I am immensely sorry to have to tell you that I will not be ready to resume my European tour in February,” said Dion, who said she was being treated by an “excellent medical team”.

France’s Vieilles Charrues festival, where Dion was scheduled to perform on July 13, decided to cancel the show entirely and refund 55,000 tickets already sold. For the moment, the shows scheduled between August 26 and October 4, 2023 at La Défense Arena (near Paris) are maintained.

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© Agence France-Presse