Claudette, Celine Dion’s Sister, Reveals the Singer’s Inability to Control Muscles

Celine Dion’s battle with stiff-person syndrome, a rare and challenging neurological disorder, continues to progress. A year after revealing her diagnosis, the singer faces difficulties controlling her body movements, her sister Claudette Dion revealed to the Canadian edition of 7 Jours. 

This disorder, also known as Moersch-Woltman syndrome, causes the body to stiffen and become overly sensitive to stimuli like noise, touch, and emotional distress, often leading to a hunched and rigid posture.

In May, Celine Dion described the impact of this disorder on her life, saying, “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. It’s been a struggle. All I know is singing, it’s what I’ve done all my life.”

As a result, Celine had to reschedule and ultimately cancel her entire 2023 tour. 

Apologizing to her fans on Instagram, the 55-year-old singer wrote, “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%. 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.”

In her latest interview, Claudette Dion shared her heartache over Celine’s condition, reflecting on her discipline and hard work throughout her career. “She doesn’t have control over her muscles,” Claudette said. 

She expressed uncertainty about Celine’s return to performing, despite it being a shared dream.

Claudette Dion also opened up about how rare and lesser-known Celine’s illness is, explaining, “Some people have lost hope because they don’t know much about this disease. You wouldn’t believe the number of calls we get at the Foundation from people asking about Céline!” She also shared the outpouring of love Celine receives, saying, “People send their love and prayers for her. She gets loads of messages, presents, and even blessed crucifixes.”