Celine Dion offers a portrait of resilience in new documentary
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Canadian singer Celine Dion at the New York special screening of the documentary film I Am: Celine Dion on June 17.
PHOTO: AFP
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NEW YORK – Music legend Celine Dion vowed on June 17 her “passion as a performer will never disappear”, despite health struggles, which she says are still just a small part of her monumental story.
“I’m not dead,” said the Canadian singer on the red carpet ahead of the premiere of the new documentary, I Am: Celine Dion,
“When life imposes something on you, you have two options. You deal with it or you don’t want to deal with it,” Dion said, calling her decision to speak out about her condition in the documentary both “the greatest gift and the greatest responsibility”.
“It’s not going to go away,” she said of the disorder. “I’m going to have to deal with this. And I am.”
The 56-year-old disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome,
Treatment can help alleviate symptoms of the condition that can cause stiff muscles in the torso, arms and legs, as well as trigger severe spasms.
“The show will still go on,” said the My Heart Will Go On (1997) singer, adding that it was important to be honest about the struggle.
Irene Taylor, the Academy Award-nominated director behind the film, said that Dion’s one request was to be able to tell her own story, in her own words.
“Would that be possible? Instead of other people talking about me?” Taylor recalls the superstar requesting.
“That was like music to my ears as a storyteller. She just opened up and was very authentic in her joy and also in her suffering.”
The documentary will begin streaming globally on June 25 on Prime Video.
Dion was forced to cancel a string of shows scheduled for 2023 and 2024, saying she was not strong enough to tour.
She made a surprise appearance earlier in 2024 at the Grammy Awards, presenting the Album of the Year award to American pop megastar Taylor Swift.
Dion has sold more than 250 million albums during her decades-long career. The Quebec-born star’s Courage World Tour began in 2019, and she had completed 52 shows before the Covid-19 pandemic put the remainder on hold. AFP
