Céline Dion’s Rare Public Appearance Shocks the Crowd 2024 GRAMMYs
Standing ovations aren’t that rare at the Grammys, but the thunderous applause for Céline Dion on Feb. 4 seemed to go on and on.
Because they love her, yes, but also because it was just such a relief to see the French-Canadian singer, escorted by her eldest son René-Charles Dion Angélil, in person.
“I love you right back,” Dion, elegant in a mustard overcoat by Valentino, told the audience as she took the stage to present the final award of the night. “When I say that I’m happy to be here, I really mean it from my heart.”
Dare we say, her appearance—27 years after winning Album of the Year for Let’s Talk About Love, one of her five Grammys—even overshadowed Taylor Swift making history by becoming the first artist to win Album of the Year four times. (Swift seemingly disregarding Dion as she made her way to the microphone raised a few eyebrows, too, but all was made right after they had a moment together backstage.)
Dion, who’s turning 56 on March 30, was spotted out Nov. 1, her first public appearance in months, when she took the sons she shared with late husband René Angélil—René-Charles, 23, and his 13-year-old twin brothers Nelson and Eddy—to watch the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens take on the Las Vegas Knights.
Vegas has been the singer’s home base in the U.S. since she began her first residency at Caesars Palace in 2003, and she returned to the arena—this time to catch the Edmonton Oilers—on Feb. 6.
But going to the Grammys in L.A. marked her most significant step back toward the spotlight since she shared in December 2022 that she’d been diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called stiff-person syndrome.
The fans who have rallied around Dion through the best and worst of times, including the loss of her husband to throat cancer in 2016, haven’t budged and are eager to see what’s next for the artist, who’s been on the world stage since releasing her debut album La voix du bon Dieu at 13. To date, she’s released 16 French-language albums and 12 in English, the most recent being 2019’s Courage.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Yet even getting to where she was standing on that Grammys stage, the consummate professional poised as ever despite the palpable emotion coursing through the whole venue, has been a journey. We’re tracing back from where Dion started with her diagnosis to where she is now and why she wants to share her story in an upcoming documentary:
(Originally published Feb. 10, 2024, at 4:30 a.m. PT)