Celine Dion returns to stage for dramatic performance at Olympic opening ceremony

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.

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.”

Dion, 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.”

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. 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.”

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games kicked off Friday with a spectacular open-air opening ceremony that aimed to provide relief, positivity and perhaps even unity in a world riven by tension.

The ambitious celebration was unlike any other in the 128-year history of the modern Olympiad. Instead of parading inside a stadium, around 10,500 athletes sailed in a 3.5-mile flotilla of 94 boats down Paris’ iconic Seine River.

The uniformed athletes cheered and waved to spectators, keeping the mood boisterous despite the rainy skies.

The ceremony featured a series of high-energy song-and-dance acts, including a cabaret medley from Lady Gaga (who belted out the 1960s-era tune “Mon Truc En Plumes”), a performance from Mali-born French pop star Aya Nakamura, and a tribute to “Les Misérables.”