NATIONAL NEWS

Céline Dion cancels European concerts ‘until I’m really ready to be back on stage’

May 26, 2023, 7:38 AM

FILE - Singer Celine Dion performs during her first World Tour called Courage in Quebec City, Montr...

FILE - Singer Celine Dion performs during her first World Tour called Courage in Quebec City, Montreal, Canada on Sept. 18, 2019. Dion has canceled all her scheduled tour dates through April 2024 as she battles a rare neurological disorder. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press via AP)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press via AP)

Céline Dion has canceled all her scheduled tour dates through April 2024 as she continues treatment for a rare neurological disorder.

“I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again,” the singer said in a statement on social media. “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.

A total of 42 European dates have been canceled, including stops in the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Austria, England, Scotland and Ireland.

Earlier this year, Dion said stiff person syndrome was causing spasms that affect her ability to walk and sing.

“Unfortunately, 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,” she said.

Stiff person syndrome causes rigid muscles and painful muscle spasms, which can be triggered by such things as loud noises or light touch. The cause isn’t known, but it is thought to be an autoimmune disorder. Severe cases can cause difficulty walking and hunched posture.

Dion, who has five Grammy Awards and two Academy Awards, is the bestselling female artist of all time with hits like “I’m Alive” and “My Heart Will Go On.”

National News

Associated Press

First cargo ship passes through newly opened channel in Baltimore since bridge collapse

BALTIMORE (AP) — The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago. The Balsa 94, a bulk carrier sailing under a Panama flag, passed through the new 35-foot (12-meter) channel headed for St. […]

57 minutes ago

Associated Press

The Latest | Israeli strikes in Rafah kill at least 5 as ship comes under attack in the Gulf of Aden

Palestinian hospital officials said Israeli airstrikes on the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip killed at least five people. More than half of the territory’s population of 2.3 million have sought refuge in Rafah, where Israel has conducted near-daily raids as it prepares for an offensive in the city. In central Gaza, four […]

7 hours ago

Associated Press

Some campuses call in police to break up pro-Palestinian demonstrations, while others wait it out

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Some U.S. universities called in police to break up demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war, resulting in ugly scuffles and dozens of arrests, while others appeared content to wait out student protests Thursday, as the final days of the semester ticked down and graduation ceremonies loomed. At Emerson College in Boston, 108 […]

8 hours ago

Associated Press

Supreme Court arguments begin over Trump’s claim of absolute immunity from prosecution

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court arguments have begun over whether former President Donald Trump can avoid prosecution over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. The justices on Thursday took up for the first time whether a former president has absolute immunity from criminal charges for actions he took while […]

11 hours ago

Photo: Anti-abortion activists rally outside the Supreme Court on April 24....

Associated Press

Supreme Court appears skeptical that state abortion bans conflict with federal health care law

Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical that state abortion bans, after their ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, violate federal healthcare law.

13 hours ago

Associated Press

Instagram fraudster ‘Jay Mazini’ has been sentenced for his crypto scheme that preyed on Muslims

NEW YORK (AP) — The former Instagram influencer known as “ swindled millions of dollars from online followers and a network of Muslims during the pandemic was sentenced to seven years in prison on Wednesday, prosecutors said. Jebara Igbara, 28, of New Jersey, had pleaded guilty to fraud charges, admitting that he created a Ponzi […]

13 hours ago

Céline Dion cancels European concerts ‘until I’m really ready to be back on stage’