Because of illness: Celine Dion cancels European concerts

Acclaimed singer Celine Dion has called off the resumption of her world tour and canceled upcoming February shows in Europe after being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder.

The Canadian singer announced on Thursday that she has what is known as “stiff person syndrome,” a condition that causes cramps that affect the singer’s ability to walk and also sing.

Celine Dion addresses fans

“Unfortunately, the cramps affect my entire daily life. They sometimes cause difficulty walking and don’t allow me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to,” Dion shared with fans in an emotional video message on Instagram.

“It pains me to announce that as a result I will not be able to resume my tour in Europe in February,” she added. The “Courage” world tour, halted at the start of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, was set to resume in Europe in early 2023. Most concerts are now to be postponed to 2024. However, the artist had to cancel some of them entirely.

With over 330 million records sold, the Canadian singer is one of the world’s most successful pop singers. One of her biggest hits is her song “My Heart Will Go On,” which moved viewers of the movie “Titanic” to tears 25 years ago. The director James Cameron filmed the legendary shipwreck of 1912 again.

Dion celebrated other great musical successes with songs like “Because You Loved Me”, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” or “The Power of Love”.

Stiff Person Syndrome – An incurable disease

Stiff person syndrome causes muscle stiffness and spasms. The exact cause of the disease is unknown. There is no cure for it yet. The disorder affects about one in a million people, and most commonly occurs between the ages of 30 and 60. Women are more affected by stiff person syndrome than men.

The 54-year-old singer’s condition is being monitored by doctors and her children are supporting her. “All I can do is sing. That’s what I’ve done my whole life. It’s also what I love to do the most,” said Dion. In the video, she burst into tears.

GR/zc/rs (AP, Reuters, AFP)

Moving pop and rock songs of the last decades

2019: Nobody is immune to death – Freddie Mercury’s “Time Waits For No One”

“Time is running out for us all”: We are all running out of time. That’s what Freddie Mercury sings in a previously unreleased version of “Time” (1986). Only a piano accompanies him. Producer Dave Clark found the recording in the archives and released it after more than 30 years. For Mercury, known as the singer of the rock band Queen, the song line had long been a reality: he died in 1991.

Moving pop and rock songs of the last decades

2011: The Pain of a Lost Love – Adele’s “Someone Like You”

The piano ballad “Someone Like You” by British singer Adele is about an ex-partner who is now in a new relationship but who is not forgotten. She burst into tears when she performed the ballad at the 2011 BRIT Awards. The reason was her personal experience of separation, which is behind the lines. As the saying goes, some love stories never end, while others end in pain.

Moving pop and rock songs of the last decades

2002: Experiences of loss in life – Herbert Grönemeyer’s “Mensch”

The title song and the album of the same name “Mensch” by Herbert Grönemeyer also refers to real life: What makes being human? Other people! But: “You’re missing”, it says again and again on Grönemeyer’s most commercially successful album to date. Just a few years earlier, the native of Göttingen had lost his wife and brother.

Moving pop and rock songs of the last decades

1997: Love Beyond Death – Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”

A heaviness also weighs on the lines of this ballad. “Love can touch us one time, And last for a lifetime”: The title song of “Titanic” affirms that love can overcome everything, even the death of a loved one. In James Cameron’s film adaptation, Rose and Jack break through social conventions with their love, only to lose each other in the end.

Moving pop and rock songs of the last decades

1984: Love despite separation? Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time”

The video for “Time After Time” begins with a zoom into a camper van, in which singer Lauper watches the heartbreaking final scene of the film “The Garden of Allah” (1936, D: R. Boleslawski). She can already have a say when Boris separates from Domini to go to the monastery. Only then does the actual song begin. In the music video, singer Lauper also has to leave her partner.

Moving pop and rock songs of the last decades

1970: Leaving is the Solution – Cat Stevens “Father And Son”

Cat Stevens aka Yusuf Islam sings about a different kind of separation in this song. First of all, it should be about a boy who wants to take part in the Russian Revolution against his father’s wishes. But Stevens fell ill and wrote a generic song about the father-son relationship. Johnny Cash and Rosie Nix Adams covered him entitled “Father And Daughter”.

Moving pop and rock songs of the last decades

1968 – Giving A Child Hope – The Beatles’ “Hey Jude”

Paul McCartney dedicated this song to John Lennon’s son from his first marriage, Julian. Jules, as he was known, was separated from his father at the age of five. The sad song may make everything better, sang McCartney in 1968. Originally the title was “Hey Jules”. The change to “Hey Jude” obscured the personal reference. Few knew Lennon was even married.

Moving pop and rock songs of the last decades

1956: Love To Last Forever – Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender”

A forerunner of later touching pop ballads is “Love Me Tender” by the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. This song has a long history; in the 19th century it was known as the soldier’s song “Aura Lee”. Presley rewrote the lyrics to “Love Me Tender” for the western of the same name. Because Presley dies playing Clint Reno in the film, there is another version of the song that ends on a happy note.

Moving pop and rock songs of the last decades

December 31, 2019: Pop theme day in the German program of DW

Are you interested in pop music? Then tune in: On December 31, 2019, DW will broadcast a whole day of concerts by European musicians, including Mando Diao from Sweden and Maximo Park from Great Britain. The link under “more” takes you to the DW live stream.

Author: Verena Greb