She performed “Hymne à l’amour”, a song made famous by French singer Édith Piaf, on the Eiffel Tower at the kick-off of the 2024 Games in the French capital.
After her performance, Celine Dion wrote on Instagram that she was “honored” and “so happy to be back in one of my favorite cities.”
“Above all, I am so happy to celebrate these incredible athletes, with all their stories of sacrifice and determination, pain and perseverance,” she wrote.
The singer received widespread praise for her performance, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau writing about X: “A Canadian icon, an incredible talent, and she has overcome a lot to be here tonight.”
“Celine, it’s great to see you singing again,” he added.
Dion also performed at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Dion performed “Hymne à l’amour”, a song made famous by French singer Edith Piaf, on the Eiffel Tower. CIO via Getty Images
It was Dion’s first live performance since 2020 and comes about a year and a half after she announced she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome.
According to the Johns Hopkins Medicine website, stiff person syndrome “is a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that most often causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms that come and go and may worsen over time.”
It most often develops in people aged 40 to 50, the site specifies.
In April, as she reflected on her diagnosis, Dion told Vogue France that she was determined to get back on stage and that her goal was to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris again.
“For me, I have two choices,” she says. “Either I train like an athlete and work really hard, or I disconnect and it’s over, I stay home, I listen to my songs, I stand in front of my mirror and I sing to myself.”
“I chose to work with my whole body and soul, from head to toe, with a medical team. I want to be the best I can be,” she added.
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