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Music queen returns! Celine Dion set to perform again after long break amid battle with rare illness
26th March, 2026 12:01 PM
Near or far, wherever she is, Canadian singer Celine Dion is heading back to Paris.
Confirming clues that have been popping up, tantalisingly, on posters around the French capital, a person involved in the planning told The Associated Press that Dion will play autumn concerts at the La Défense Arena.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closely guarded preparations and did not give details.
Representatives for Dion in the United States did not immediately respond to questions.
If confirmed, these shows would mark her first live performances since being diagnosed with Stiff-person syndrome (SPS), a rare and currently incurable condition that causes severe muscle spasms and body rigidity and can significantly affect both movement and vocal ability.
The concerts in the City of Light will come after Dion electrified the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games where she performed Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à L’Amour” (“Hymn to Love”) from the Eiffel Tower — beside a rain-soaked piano.
Mysterious posters recently affixed to lampposts around the city were emblazoned with the titles of some of her iconic songs: “Pour Que Tu M’aimes Encore” (“So That You Love Me Again”), and, in English, “Power of Love.” And the French-Canadian pop star posted a series of photos on Instagram of her in Paris at various times in her life, as a youngster and more recent high-fashion shots.
The La Defense Arena has a capacity of 40,000 spectators and was one of the venues used for the Olympics.
Dion’s Paris concerts were originally scheduled for 2020 at Paris La Défense Arena as part of her Courage World Tour but were postponed due to the pandemic and then delayed again due to her health issues.
In 2022, Dion was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), a rare neurological and autoimmune disorder that causes muscular stiffness, inhibiting the ability to walk and sing.
Her battle against this illness was chronicled in the 2024 documentary “I Am: Celine Dion,” which was directed by Irene Taylor. Dion was also recently interviewed for a documentary which came out on the French channel M6 about her creative collaboration with singer-songwriter and producer Jean-Jacques Goldman.
