Current:Home > NewsCéline Dion's dazzling Olympics performance renders Kelly Clarkson speechless -Wealthify
Céline Dion's dazzling Olympics performance renders Kelly Clarkson speechless
View
Date:2025-04-13 04:42:32
Céline Dion will go on.
The Grammy winner, 56, made her highly anticipated musical return Friday with a performance that closed out the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony in Paris. Situated on the iconic Eiffel Tower, which was adorned by the Olympic rings, the French Canadian singer serenaded the world with Édith Piaf's "L’Hymne à l’amour" ("Hymn to Love") after the Olympic cauldron was lit.
Wearing a sparkly floor-length tasseled Dior gown, Dion was accompanied by a pianist as she belted out the song, which was first recorded in 1950. The performance marked nearly 30 years since the musical legend took to the stage at the 1996 Olympic Games, which took place in Atlanta, with her ballad, "The Power of the Dream."
This was the legendary "My Heart Will Go On" singer's first time performing since March 2020, per Reuters. After postponements due to COVID-19 and health issues, she canceled her Courage World Tour dates in 2022.
Later that year, she revealed in an emotional Instagram video that she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes her to experience muscle spasms.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
The spasms impact her day-to-day life, sometimes causing seizures and difficulty speaking, as the songstress detailed in her recently released documentary, "I Am: Celine Dion." Dion has revealed her routine to combat the effects of the disease consists of "athletic, physical and vocal therapy" five days each week.
The opening ceremony's artistic director, Thomas Jolly, explained why Dion was the best choice to conclude the evening.
"In the ceremony we have a love anthem, and that's L'Hymne A l'Amour. We all wanted to finish the show with this song, and our first idea was very simple and clear. We wanted to ask the best singer to sing love, and this is Céline Dion," Jolly told Reuters. "It was obvious for us to ask her to do that to close the ceremony."
Kelly Clarkson was 'trying to hold it together' during Céline Dion performance
Dion had previously vowed that she would return to the stage amid her health battle. Speaking to the "Today" show in an interview that aired in June, she said, "I'm going to go back on stage, even if I have to crawl, even if I have to talk with my hands. I will."
She added, "My voice will be heard for the first time, not just because I have to or because I need to, it's because I want to. And I miss it."
On NBC's broadcast of the opening ceremony, Kelly Clarkson was speechless when first asked about Dion’s performance by co-host Peyton Manning. After a break, she regained her composure and unpacked her reaction.
“I’ve been inspired, I’ve been dancing, I was not ready for that ending,” Clarkson said. “If you know anything about Céline right now, she feels this is her purpose ... and if you know anything about what she is going through right now. … I’m so sorry, I’m trying to hold it together right now. But then she got through that. That was incredible. In my field, she is the gold winner for vocal athletes.”
Dion's performance was praised widely on social media. The song has a connection to sports. Piaf wrote the song to the love of her life, French boxer Marcel Cerdan. He was killed in a plane crash flying from France to New York to see her in 1949.
While Lady Gaga also sang in French during the ceremony, Dion had an advantage in her Edith Piaf rendition, as French is her first language.
Celebrities at the 2024 Olympics:Rosalía and Jeremy Allen White, Lady Gaga and more
What health condition does Céline Dion have?
Dion first revealed she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome in December 2022. According to the Cleveland Clinic, stiff-person syndrome causes "muscle stiffness and painful muscle spasms" and can make it difficult to walk.
In a 2022 video sharing her diagnosis, Dion said the condition was affecting "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."
"I miss you all so much, and I can't wait to be on stage talking to you in person," she also said at the time.
Celine Diontearfully debuts doc amid stiff-person syndrome battle: 'My love letter'
Céline Dion has made several public appearances in 2024
In February, Dion got a standing ovation as she made a surprise Grammys appearance amid her health battle. She walked onstage to "The Power of Love," which Taylor Swift sang along to in the crowd, and then she awarded Swift the Grammy for album of the year.
In June, Dion made a rare public appearance at the New York premiere of "I Am: Celine Dion," a raw documentary exploring her health struggles.
"This is by far the biggest crowd I've had in a few years," she said at the premiere, where she received multiple standing ovations.
"Your presence in my journey has been a gift beyond measure. Your never-ending love and support over all these years have delivered me to this moment."
Dion told Vogue France in April that she wasn't sure when she would be able to return to the stage.
"My body will tell me," she said. "On the other hand, I don't just want to wait. It's morally hard to live from day to day. It's hard, I'm working very hard and tomorrow will be even harder. Tomorrow is another day. But there's one thing that will never stop, and that's the will. It's the passion. It's the dream. It's the determination."
Contributing: Patrick Ryan
veryGood! (41718)
Related
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- At least 15 people have been killed in floods set off by heavy rains in Cameroon’s capital
- Grocery store prices are rising due to inflation. Social media users want to talk about it
- A perfect day for launch at the Albuquerque balloon fiesta. See the photos
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Paris Hilton Shares Update on Her and Carter Reum's Future Family Plans
- Trump discussed nuclear submarines with Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt, three sources say
- Two Husky puppies thrown over a Michigan animal shelter's fence get adopted
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Travis Kelce scores game-winning TD for Chiefs after leaving game with ankle injury
Ranking
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- A Russian-born Swede accused of spying for Moscow is released ahead of the verdict in his trial
- Some GOP candidates propose acts of war against Mexico to stop fentanyl. Experts say that won’t work
- Investigators: Pilot error was cause of 2021 plane crash that killed 4 in Michigan
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Senior Taliban officials visit villages struck by earthquake that killed at least 2,000 people
- Oklahoma is among teams moving up in top 10, while Texas tumbles in US LBM Coaches Poll
- Americans reported $2.7 billion in losses from scams on social media, FTC says
Recommendation
Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
Latin group RBD returns after 15-year hiatus with a message: Pop is not dead
Food Network Star Michael Chiarello Dead at 61
Simone Biles becomes the most decorated gymnast in history
'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
A former Goldman Sachs banker convicted in looting 1MDB fund back in Malaysia to help recover assets
'I just want her back': Israeli mom worries daughter taken hostage by Hamas militants
Google just announced the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones. Our phone experts reveal if they're worth it