Celine Dion cancels all remaining tour dates amid ongoing health issues
Dion’s Courage World Tour had already faced numerous setbacks and postponements since kicking off in Sept. 2019, including a prolonged hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(NEXSTAR) – Celine Dion has canceled the remaining dates of her Courage World Tour amid her recovery from ongoing health issues, her team announced Friday.
Dion’s Courage World Tour had already faced numerous setbacks and postponements since kicking off in Sept. 2019, including a prolonged hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. All rescheduled tour dates were also postponed or canceled entirely while Dion recovered from “severe and persistent muscle spasms,” later revealing them as symptoms of stiff-person syndrome.
The tour has yet to resume since March 2020.
In Friday’s announcement, Dion has now confirmed the cancellation of all remaining rescheduled dates through 2024.
“I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again,” Dion wrote in a statement posted to her official site. “I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%. It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again. I want you all to know, I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!”
Dion first revealed her diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder, in Dec. 2022.
“I wasn’t ready to say anything before, but I’m ready now,” the Canadian singer said in a video she posted to social media. “I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.”
Stiff-person syndrome, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), “is characterized by fluctuating muscle rigidity in the trunk and limbs and a heightened sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch, and emotional distress, which can set off muscle spasms.”
The disease also causes trouble with walking or movement, and is associated with heightened risks of falls.
Treatment includes intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), muscle relaxants and pain relievers, but there is no known cure.
In Friday’s press release, a spokesperson for Dion confirmed her intentions to resume her performances “sometime soon … but that time is simply not now.”
Fans who already purchased tickets for the 42 canceled tour dates are being refunded. Those with additional questions are being directed toward their ticket providers.