CNN
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Celine Dion made her return to the stage at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris in truly grand fashion.
The superstar singer closed the ceremony on Friday immediately after the lighting of the Olympic cauldron, with a performance from the first stage of the Eiffel Tower, singing a timeless classic: Edith Piaf’s “L’Hymne à l’amour.”
Dion was in excellent form as she belted out the soaring, clean notes, dressed in a stunning beaded white gown with tassels.
Immediately following the performance, Kelly Clarkson – who was serving as a commentator on the proceedings for NBC – was at first speechless and then called Dion “a vocal athlete.”
The live performance marks the superstar entertainer’s first concert performance since revealing that she is living with stiff person syndrome, “a rare, progressive syndrome that affects the nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord,” according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Dion, 56, announced in December 2022 that she was taking time off from professional commitments to focus on her health after revealing her diagnosis. At the time, she said the condition did not allow her “to sing the way I’m used to.”
The last time the “My Heart Will Go On” singer performed live was in March 2020, in New Jersey.
Lady Gaga kicked off the opening Olympics event with a performance along the Seine river of “Mon truc en plume,” by Zizi Jeanmaire, France’s leading lady of Music Hall performances in the 1950s.
Last month, Dion shared more details about how difficult her life has become with stiff person syndrome, which can cause involuntary spasms and muscle rigidity, while promoting her new documentary “I Am: Celine Dion” released on Amazon.
In an interview with NBC’s Hoda Kotb at the time, the singer said trying to sing with her condition feels “like somebody is strangling you.”
The spasms can attack different parts of her body, including her abdomen, spine and ribs, she said.
“I have broken ribs at one point because sometimes when it’s very severe, it can break some ribs as well,” the Grammy-winner shared.
Dion has not allowed her diagnosis to sideline her completely however, as seen at the Grammy Awards earlier this year when she appeared onstage to present the final trophy of the evening.
In her documentary, Dion said she was determined to make her return to performing.
“If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl,” she said. “And I won’t stop. I won’t stop.”
CNN’s Lisa Respers France and Alli Rosenbloom contributed to this story.
This story has been updated to reflect Dion’s last performance prior to Friday was in 2020.
