Celine Dion makes surprise, emotional appearance at the Grammys. Here’s what she said

The three-and-a-half hour Grammy Awards ceremony Sunday night was packed with star-studded performances and surprises from start to finish. And one of the biggest surprises of the night came at the very end, when Celine Dion stepped onto the stage to present the Album of the Year award, which went to Taylor Swift in a history-making moment.

“When I say that I’m happy to be here, I really mean it, from my heart,” Dion said with emotion, noting that it was 27 years ago that Sting and Diana Ross presented the same award to her for the album “Falling Into You.”

Dion encouraged those in attendance to “never take for granted the tremendous love and joy that music brings to our lives and to people all around the world.”

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The singer’s surprise appearance at the Grammys comes a little over a year since she announced she was diagnosed with the rare neurological disorder stiff person syndrome.

In an emotional video shared on Instagram at the time, the “My Heart Will Go On” singer said that the disorder — which affects only 1 or 2 in 1 million people, per Johns Hopkins Medicine — was interfering with her day-to-day life.

“The spasms affect every aspect of my 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,” said Dion, 55, as the Deseret News reported. “I have a great team of doctors working alongside me to help me get better. I’m working with my sports medicine therapist every day to build back my strength and my ability to perform again.”

At that time, the Grammy Award-winning singer rescheduled her world tour dates for 2024, though those new dates have since been canceled.

Here’s a look at the latest updates on Dion — including an upcoming documentary that chronicles her life since the diagnosis.

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A new Celine Dion documentary is coming to Amazon Prime

“I Am: Celine Dion,” a new feature-length documentary, will stream worldwide on Amazon Prime Video — though a release date has not yet been announced, USA Today reported. For the project, filmmaker Irene Taylor worked with the singer for more than a year.

“This intimate exploration takes viewers on a journey inside Celine’s past and present as she reveals her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) and the lengths she has gone to continue performing for her beloved and loyal fans,” reads a statement about the documentary, per USA Today.

“As the road to resuming my performing career continues, I have realized how much I have missed it, of being able to see my fans,” Dion said in a statement, according to USA Today. “During this absence, I decided I wanted to document this part of my life to try to raise awareness of this little-known condition, to help others who share this diagnosis.”

How is Celine Dion doing? What is she up to?

In a recent interview with the French outlet 7 Jours, Dion’s sister, Claudette Dion, said the singer does not have control of her muscles.

“If you only knew how many calls we receive,” Claudette Dion said in the interview last December, per CBS News. “People tell us they love her and pray for her. She gets so many messages, gifts, blessed crucifixes. She works hard, but she has no control over her muscles.

“Vocal cords are muscles, but so is the heart,” she continued. “That’s what gets to me. Because it’s one in a million case, scientists don’t have that much research on the topic, because it didn’t affect that many people.”

The singer officially canceled her world tour dates last May.

“I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again. I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%,” she said in a statement on her website. “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!”

Prior to the recent news about the upcoming documentary, that message was the latest update on Dion’s website, though the singer’s social media presence has remained fairly active with posts and videos highlighting various performances and albums over the years.

Dion — and her music — played an important role in the rom-com “Love Again,” which filmed early on in the pandemic and released last year. It marked Dion’s first feature film and included five new songs from the singer — her first new music since the 2019 album “Courage,” according to her website. The movie is available for streaming on Netflix.

What is stiff person syndrome?

Stiff person syndrome is a “rare, progressive syndrome that affects the nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord,” per the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center.

Symptoms include progressive muscle stiffness and painful spasms that can be triggered by things such as sudden movement and loud noises, the Deseret News previously reported. Sometimes, other symptoms are present, such as double vision or slurred speech.

There is currently no cure for the disorder, but treatment can help minimize symptoms and improve quality of life, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.