Superstar Céline Dion defied illness – and made a triumphant appearance at the OS opening ceremony in Paris.
"We are speechless", tweets the American TV company NBC.
Dressed in a white, glittering dress, the Canadian megastar sang Edith Piaf's "L’Hymne à l’amour", standing proudly and upright on the Eiffel Tower's first platform.
"It is an honor for me to have performed tonight at the opening ceremony in Paris 2024, and I am so happy to be back in one of my favorite cities", tweeted Dion after the performance, which was met with great jubilation.
For several weeks, there has been speculation that Dion would perform, but the organizers had not officially confirmed this, writes the news agency AP.
Rare disease
Céline Dion suffers from a rare disease that, among other things, has caused her ribs to break. The singer has told about this in connection with a documentary about her health struggle that was released last summer.
The film gives viewers an insight into Dion's life with the neurological disease stiff person syndrome, which causes involuntary muscle contractions, resulting in the rib fracture.
It feels like someone is strangling you. It's like someone is pressing on the larynx and throat when you get a spasm.
Cancelled tour
Due to the illness, the star was forced to cancel her world tour last year. As recently as in April this year, she was not sure if she would ever stand on stage again.
I don't know. My body will tell me, said Céline Dion to French Vogue.
As I see it, I have two options. Either I train like an athlete and work super hard, or I shut down and it's over.
Céline Dion also sang at the OS opening ceremony in Atlanta 1996. Her last performance before Paris was in New Jersey in March 2020.
