Celine Dion was set to make a grand return to the stage following the pandemic, but it would appear that the stars of fate have not been kind to her.
The Canadian superstar has had several lucrative Las Vegas residencies over the years, but unfortunately she’s suffered a significant setback of late. As per reports, Dion can’t perform due to “severe and persistent muscle spasms.”
One’s health is, of course, the most important thing, and Dion is now looking to take care of her body in the best possible way. That said, postponing shows also leads to financial loss and, according to new reports, the 54-year-old is losing tens of millions by staying away from the stage.
In November 2021, Dion was set to once again take to the Las Vegas stage for her brand-new show at Resorts World Las Vegas. Kicking off her return were ten planned performances on the biggest and tallest stage in all of “Sin City.”
Celine Dion – health update after muscle spasm diagnosis
However, her comeback to the Las Vegas stage was hit with a significant setback.
As per reports, Dion recently received treatment for severe and persistent muscle spasms. The “unforeseen medical symptoms” forced her to cancel several concert dates in Las Vegas, first in November last year, and then from January 19 to February 5, 2022.
“Celine has been experiencing severe and persistent muscle spasms which are preventing her from performing,” the statement read.
“Her medical team continues to evaluate and treat her. However, the symptoms she is experiencing are prohibiting her from participating in the ongoing rehearsals for the new show.”
In an Instagram post, Céline explained that she was “heartbroken” over having to postpone the concerts.
“My team and I have been working on our new show for the past eight months, and to not be able to open this November saddens me beyond words. My partners at Resorts World Las Vegas and AEG have been working around the clock to get this brand-new state-of-the-art theater ready, and it’s absolutely beautiful,” the 54-year-old singer wrote.
“I feel so bad that I’m letting them down, and I’m especially sorry for disappointing all the fans who’ve been making their plans to come to Las Vegas. Now, I have to focus on getting better… I want to get through this as soon as I can – Celine.”
Celine is busy recovering in her Las Vegas mansion, trying to get the crippling muscle spasms under control.
“I’m doing my very best to get back”
As a result, the Canadian singer has been forced to cancel her Las Vegas residency and world tour.
“I need to be in top shape when I’m on stage,” she said in an Instagram video in April.
“Honestly I can’t wait, but I’m just not there yet. … I wanted you to know that I’m sorry for this news. I know you’ve all waited so long for the concerts, and I appreciate your loyalty.”
“All I can say is that I’m doing my very best to get back to the level that I need to be so that I can give 100% at my shows because that’s what you deserve,” she added, overcome with emotion.
The Grammy Award-winning artist is eager to get back on the road and perform in front of her millions of fans. At the same time, though, not being able to perform due to the pandemic has given her more quality time with her children.
“The tour was canceled, the whole world was shut off. It was definitely different, but for us, we were very fortunate,” she said of the pandemic in an interview with Today.
Postponed Vegas residency shows and world tour
“It was the old-fashioned family fun, simple pleasures of life, playing outside a lot, cooking. Honestly, making the best out of this.”
Her “Courage World Tour” included stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, and several other US and Canadian cities. Initially, the Canadian singer completed 52 shows before the coronavirus pandemic hit the world in March 2020.
“There’s a lot of organizing and preparation that goes into our shows, and so we have to make decisions today which will affect the plans two months down the road,” Dion continued in her statement.
“I’ll be so glad to get back to full health, as well as all of us getting past this pandemic, and I can’t wait to be back on stage again.”
Céline was initially scheduled to undergo the European leg of her world tour. In the end, though, she simply couldn’t; the muscle spasms made it impossible for her to continue.
Of course, Céline has always had a unique relationship with Las Vegas. Not only does she live there with her sons, but it’s also become her place of work.
In 2003, Céline – who’s sold more than 220 million albums throughout her career – began a four-year Las Vegas residency. It became the most successful of all time, grossing more than $385 million.
Celine Dion’s huge loss of earnings – net worth
In 2011, she returned to the Las Vegas stage for a residency at Ceasar’s Palace. According to Billboard, her 1,141 performances set a new world record – Dion also holds the records for the two best-selling residencies of all time.
The two previous Las Vegas residencies alone earned her $680 million. Her net worth is reported to be around $800 million – and in 2019, she made $37 million.
However, the muscle spasm problems and her canceled residency shows have apparently become a financial nightmare for Celine. As reported by gaming website SlotsUp, the My Heart Will Go On star has lost out on over $70 million of revenue, based on her earnings for the Celine residency show.
For Celine’s fans, though, there is some good news on the horizon.
Her tour of Europe has been rescheduled to start on February 24, 2023 in Prague, Czech Republic, and will continue until October, when she’s set to return to the stage.
Still mourning late husband, Rene Angelil
While it’s true that Celine has had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of quality time with her children, the singer is also in mourning.
A little more than five years ago, she lost her husband Rene Angelil after he passed away from throat cancer. She has been very open about her mourning process for the love of her life. Celine prefers to remain private about her personal life, but last year opened up about living without her late husband in an interview with Today.
“Losing my husband, for my kids to lose their father, it was quite something,” Dion said.
“I feel like Rene has given me so much through the years and still today, I see my kids. I look at them—we live with him. We still live with him. He’s part of our lives every day, so I have to say that I feel very, very strong.”
She added: “Vegas has given us, my family and I, an opportunity for me to be a mom, for them to be kids, for me to perform for my fans and to practice my passion and every night come home. That is rare, so I really feel that Vegas has given me motherhood and the best as an artist, the best of both worlds.”
Celine and Rene’s love story goes back a long time.
When she was 12, her parents sent a demo tape to Angelil, who at the time handled the career of famous French singer Ginette Reno.
Dion sang a song she had written with her mother and brother, and Rene liked what he heard.
Celine Dion and Rene Angelil’s love story
So he invited her to audition – and that’s where the real success story began.
“She was this homely little kid named Celine Dion. The mother did all the talking, and the girl never said a word,” Angelil recalled.
“Then she started singing into a pencil, pretending it was a microphone. And what I heard was enough to make me cry. I heard a special voice like I had never heard before.”
Rene decided to dump his other clients and even mortgaged his house to put out Dion’s first album – the rest, as they say, is history.
Rene and Céline’s relationship, meanwhile, began in 1987, and by 1991 they were engaged. Three years later, they married in Montreal, Canada, and in 2000 they renewed their vows in Las Vegas.
René believed in Céline and her career so strongly that he remortgaged his house to finance her first record. He stood by his love through thick and thin, and they went on to have three children together.
They had their first son in 2001, naming him René-Charles Angélil. But, six years later, they felt that something was missing. The couple wanted their son to have a sibling, and Celine and Rene went public with the news that they were trying IVF.
Celine Dion – children
Their first pregnancy via IVF resulted in a miscarriage, but they kept trying – and the seventh attempt proved a charm.
In May 2010, the couple announced that Dion was 14 weeks pregnant with twin boys. Five months later, Dion gave birth to fraternal twins by Caesarean section at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The twins’ names have a very special meaning for Celine.
One was named Eddy, after Dion’s favorite French songwriter, Eddy Marnay, and the other, Nelson, after former South African President Nelson Mandela.
“My greatest reward is my children. Unless you are a mum you don’t know what you’re missing or what it even is really. It felt for me that with all my children another heart grew inside of me,” she said in 2013.
“I don’t believe in the umbilical cord being cut. For me it’s never cut, once you’re a mum you’re a mum for life – it gives you true meaning to your life and it’s the most important job.”
Celine also took on the role of caretaker while her husband was sick, and worked hard to look after him during this challenging period.
Celine Dion has no plans to date
He passed away in 2016, at age 73.
Before long, it will be six years since Rene’s tragic death. On that front, Celine said she has no plans on dating, at least for now.
“I don’t know. I have no idea. But right this second, love is so big right now in my life, with my kids, with life itself. I’m not thinking about a relationship and falling in love again,” she said last year.
“Do I have to say that it will never happen anymore? I don’t know.”
We send all our love to Celine Dion and hope she feels better soon.