The legendary Céline Dion is set to light up the stage at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Sports fans and music lovers can watch the 56-year-old singer perform for her very first live show since she was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome in 2022.
The queen of power ballads touched down in Paris on Monday, July 22, ahead of the summer games that will kick off on Friday, July 26. She was spotted outside the Royal Monceau Hotel in the French Capital this week, greeting fans and signing autographs.
Céline Dion is now in Paris and is expected to perform at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 26
Image credits: Cindy Ord/Getty Images
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The My Heart Will Go On singer is gearing up to deliver a show-stopping performance this Friday. Sources told TMZ that she will pocket a cool $2 million for just one song.
“They’re paying a ton of money. Ridiculous amount,” a source told the outlet.
Organizers for the Olympics are also reportedly taking care of her travel bills, her jets, boats, and other expenses for herself and her family.
The iconic voice behind the hit, My Heart Will Go On, will be paid $2 million for just one song at the ceremony, sources claimed
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French President Emmanuel Macron did not confirm whether she would be performing for the opening ceremony of this year’s Olympics but said “it would be fantastic news” if she does.
“Apparently she has arrived in Paris, it’s great!” he told French broadcaster France 2, as quoted by BBC.
“I would be immensely happy if she could be at this opening ceremony, like all our compatriots,” he continued “I will not reveal anything, what [opening ceremony director] Thomas Jolly and all his teams have prepared. There is also a surprise.”
What will make her performance even more special is that it will be the first since the Canadian hitmaker’s battle with Stiff-Person Syndrome, a rare and painful condition that has kept her off the stage for a while.
The award-winning artist talks about her Stiff Person Syndrome diagnosis in 2022 in her new documentary, I Am: Celine Dion
The condition can cause muscle stiffness and painful muscle spasms, and the seriousness of the symptoms can differ from person to person. While there is no cure for the illness, symptoms and the advancement of the condition can be treated, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Despite the health challenges, the I’m Alive singer promised her fans that she would make a comeback in her documentary, I Am: Celine Dion.
She revealed earlier this year that she is learning to live with her disease as there is “no way to cure it.”
“I haven’t beat the disease, as it’s still within me and always will be. I hope that we’ll find a miracle, a way to cure it with scientific research, but for now I have to learn to live with it. So that’s me, now with Stiff Person Syndrome,” she told Vogue France in April this year.
The Grammy winner explained that she’s been undergoing athletic, physical, and vocal therapy for five days a week.
The mother-of-three reveals a number of secrets from the past and lesser-known details about her childhood in her documentary
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“I work on my toes, my knees, my calves, my fingers, my singing, my voice… I have to learn to live with it now and stop questioning myself,” she continued. “At the beginning I would ask myself: why me? How did this happen? What have I done? Is this my fault? Life doesn’t give you any answers. You just have to live it!”
She said she refused to “switch off” and convince herself that everything was over. So she worked with her team to eventually be at a place where she could possibly take the stage and sing in front of thousands again.
“The way I see it, I have two choices. Either I train like an athlete and work super hard, or I switch off and it’s over, I stay at home, listen to my songs, stand in front of my mirror and sing to myself,” she told the outlet. “I’ve chosen to work with all my body and soul, from head to toe, with a medical team. I want to be the best I can be. My goal is to see the Eiffel Tower again!”
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