Céline Dion hasn't performed since 2021, the same year she cancelled the launch of a Las Vegas residency while coping with "severe and persistent muscle spasms." Shortly thereafter, she cancelled the remaining North American tour dates she had scheduled for 2022, revealing by the end of the year that she'd been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome — a rare neurological condition characterized by fluctuating muscle rigidity and heightened sensitivity to stimuli.
The French-Canadian icon subsequently had to cancel her 2023–2024 tour itinerary to continue trying to get her debilitating symptoms under control, a struggle chronicled in new Prime Video documentary I Am: Celine Dion. With a well-documented burning desire to perform for her fans again, Dion said last month that she's "back," and working on putting together a new Las Vegas show.
However, a new residency might not be her first comeback performance: a new report from Variety claims that Dion will return to the stage very globally by performing at the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics this Friday (July 26).
UPDATE (7/24, 1:40 p.m. ET): According to the French government, Dion's presence in Paris ahead of the Olympic kick-off is "not a coincidence" [via TSN]. The country's sports minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castér, said on French channel TF1's Bonjour la matinale breakfast show that there are a "multitude of possible roles" the singer could play in the opening ceremony, but she wouldn't confirm whether Dion would be performing.
According to the publication, the star arrived in France's capital yesterday (July 22), checking in to the Royal Monceau Hotel near Champs-Élysées — where Lady Gaga, another rumoured performer at the games, is apparently also staying.
While nothing has been confirmed yet, Dion did appear on the cover of the May 2024 issue of Vogue France. She also once kicked off the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA, singing "The Power of the Dream."
As per Variety, the opening ceremony for the Paris games will take the shape of a parade along the Seine, culminating near the Trocadero, facing the Eiffel Tower. This is the first time in history that an Olympics opening ceremony will take place outside of a stadium, and it will bring together 3,500 actors, dancers and musical performers.