Courtesy/Screenshot: IOC/Getty Images
Celine Dion performs atop the Eiffel Tower during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France on July 26, 2024.
CNN —
Celine Dion made a spectacular return to the stage at the Paris Summer Olympics.
The superstar singer closed the ceremony by singing the timeless classic, Edith Piaf’s “Hymne a l’amour,” from the first stage of the Eiffel Tower, shortly after the Olympic cauldron was lit on Friday.
Dion was in top form, wearing a beautiful beaded white gown with tassels and singing powerfully with a clear, pure tone.
Immediately after the performance, NBC commentator Kelly Clarkson was initially speechless, then called Dion a “vocal athlete.”
The live performance will mark the superstar entertainer’s first concert performance since revealing that he has stiff-person syndrome, “a rare, progressive syndrome that affects the nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord,” according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Dion, 56, announced she would be taking some time away from work to focus on her health after announcing her diagnosis in December 2022. At the time, she said her illness meant she was unable to “sing like I normally do.”
The “My Heart Will Go On” singer last performed live in March 2020 in New Jersey.
Lady Gaga kicked off the Olympic opening ceremony with a performance along the Seine River of “Mon truc en plume” by Zizi Jeanmaire, a French music hall singer who was active in the 1950s.
Luca Bruno/AP
Lady Gaga performs in Paris, France, on Friday ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Last month, while promoting her new Amazon documentary “I Am: Celine Dion,” Dion detailed how stiff-person syndrome, which causes involuntary spasms and muscle stiffness, has made her life more difficult.
In an interview with NBC’s Hoda Kotb at the time, the singer said that trying to sing while living with his condition “feels like someone is choking me.”
The spasms can occur in different parts of the body, including the abdomen, spine and ribs, she said.
“I’ve broken ribs, because if it’s really bad you can break your ribs,” the Grammy winner said.
But Dion didn’t let the diagnosis completely sideline her: At the Grammy Awards earlier this year, she appeared onstage to present the final trophy of the night.
In the documentary, Dion spoke about her decision to return to performing.
“If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl,” she said. “And I won’t stop. I won’t stop.”
CNN’s Lisa Resperse-France and Allie Rosenbloom contributed to this story.
This story has been updated to reflect that Dion’s last performance before Friday was in 2020.