Celine Dion gave a powerhouse performance at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on Friday, July 26.
The French-Canadian singer, 56, delivered a rousing rendition of “L’Hymne à l’amour” from the first stage of the Eiffel Tower.
Dion wore a full-length sparkly silver gown for her iconic return to the stage.
It was Dion’s first major live performance since she revealed in 2022 that she has stiff person syndrome.
Stiff person syndrome is described by RareDiseases.org as a “rare acquired neurological disorder characterized by progressive muscle stiffness (rigidity) and repeated episodes of painful muscle spasms.”
Dion was swarmed by fans as she left her hotel just hours before she showed up at the opening ceremony. Police were on hand to hold back the crowd.
Dion’s performance came after Lady Gaga kicked off the opening ceremony, singing “Mon Truc En Plume,” or “My Thing Made of Feathers.”
Lady Gaga’s opening ceremony number paid tribute to French singer Zizi Jeanmaire and her cabaret-style version of “Mon Truc En Plumes,” which she performed on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1956.
Earlier in the day, Gaga did a final dress rehearsal of the song, exciting fans as pics spread on social media.
Gaga and Dion’s show-stopping performances put to bed the days-long speculation that they would be singing together.
Both were photographed around Paris in the days leading up to the opening ceremony.
Dion was spotted blowing kisses and showing her fans some love as they camped near the entrance to the Royal Monceau hotel on the Champs Elysee, the same hotel where Gaga was staying.
On Wednesday, July 24, perhaps sensing that the jig was up, the “My Heart Will Go On” singer posted snaps of herself visiting the Louvre.
“Every time I return to Paris, I remember there’s so much beauty and joy still to experience in the world,” Dion wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I love Paris, and I’m so happy to be back! Thank you to our wonderful friends at The Louvre!”
Every time I return to Paris, I remember there’s so much beauty and joy still to experience in the world. I love Paris, and I’m so happy to be back!
Thank you to our wonderful friends at The Louvre!
Celine xx…
— Celine Dion (@celinedion) July 24, 2024
French President Emmanuel Macron struggled to keep the news of Dion’s performance a secret when asked about the rumors and the singer’s social media post in an interview with France 2 TV.
“Apparently she has arrived in Paris, it’s great!” he said, attempting to be coy. “I would be immensely happy if she could be at this opening ceremony, like all our compatriots.”
“I will not reveal anything, what [opening ceremony director] Thomas Jolly and all his teams have prepared,” Macron remarked, before adding, “There is also a surprise.”
Dion looks to have made a hefty sum for her Olympic gig, with TMZ reporting that she made $2 million for the performance.
Dion’s comeback wasn’t the first time the chanteuse performed at an Olympic event. In 1996, she sang at the summer opening ceremony in Atlanta.
Dion’s Olympic moment came on the heels of a report that she will be returning to Las Vegas for another residency in sin city.
This alleged new residency, said to be in the “final stages of negotiation,” will reportedly be set at Resorts World. Her previous two residencies were at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
It was only earlier this year that many wondered whether Dion’s health struggles would preclude her from ever singing again live and in public.
In an interview from April while promoting her documentary “I Am: Celine Dion,” she reassured her fans that she would sing again.
“Oh, I’ll sing again,” she told CBC. “I’ll sing again. That’s for sure. The expectation, [fans] deserve to have an expectation.”
“They pay,” she added. “I’m 56 years old. And for many, many years, I’ve done a lot, a lot of shows. We’ve had a lot of happiness because of the fans paying shows and buying my records.”
Dion insisted that her fans “have all the rights to have all the expectation[s]” of her. But, she added that her “own expectation is probably bigger than what they expect from me.”
