Celine Dion Cancels European ‘Courage’ Tour Dates as Health Issues Linger

Six months after Canadian superstar singer Celine Dion revealed her diagnosis of a a rare neurological condition, she canceled her rescheduled European tour as she struggles to regain her strength.

“I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again,” the singer wrote on Instagram Friday. “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!” she added.

Unlike the December announcement where the 55-year-old revealed her diagnosis of “Stiff Person Syndrome” in an emotional video, the latest post was text only.

The post produced an outpouring of sympathetic and supportive comments from fans. “Health is everything,” said one. “Everyone is still here when you are ready, no matter how long you need.”

Still Person Syndrome is an autoimmune disease that causes muscles to be rigid, and can also create a “heightened sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch, and emotional distress, which can set off muscle spasms,” according to the National Institutes of Health. It can leave people “too disabled to walk or move,” and they can be susceptible to spasms and falls triggered by loud noises.

In her December video, Dion said the spasms have affected “every aspect” of her daily life, “sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to.”

The tour was scheduled to kick off in Amsterdam on Aug. 26. It included a planned six-night stand in Paris, along with multi-night stops in Antwerp, Belgium; Copenhagen, Denmark; Oslo, Norway; Stockholm, Sweden, and Helsinki, Finland through early October.

Dion was slated to resume the tour in March 6, 2024, in Prague, and continue with stops in multiple cities in Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Ireland, England and Scotland through late April.

In all, 42 dates were cancelled.

Dion began cancelling shows in January 2022, when the U.S and Canadian legs of the “Courage” tour were shut down after her diagnosis. The album “Courage,” released in 2019, is her 27th studio album and 12th recorded solely in English. It debuted at the top of the Billboard charts, her first No. 1 album in 17 years.

She released the single “Flying on My Own” at the end of her Las Vegas residency in 2019.

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