Celine Dion makes surprise appearance at Grammys as she battles stiff person syndrome

Celine Dion just made music’s biggest night even more special.

The 55-year-old “My Heart Will Go On” singer, who has stayed out of the spotlight since being diagnosed with stiff person syndrome in December 2022, appeared at the end of the 2024 Grammy Awards to present the Album of the Year award to Taylor Swift for “Midnights.”

“Those who have been blessed enough to be here at the Grammy Awards must never take for granted the tremendous love and joy that music brings to our lives and to people all around the world,” Dion said.

“It gives me great joy to present a Grammy Award that two legends, Diana Ross and Sting, presented to me 27 years ago,” she added with a smile. 

Rumors of the five-time Grammy winner’s appearance swirled on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, when a Hollywood Reporter journalist shared a video of her inside the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

“Celine Dion is in the building!!” he wrote. “Looking healthy, beautiful and amazing. Joined by superstar stylist Law Roach (who styled her and helped made her fashion icon). She is going up VIP elevator with garment bags full of gowns.”

Stiff person syndrome is a progressive, extremely rare, incurable disorder that causes the body to attack its nerve cells. It’s extremely rare — affecting only one or two people per million.

Last week, the Canadian native wrote an emotional statement to fans amidst the news that Prime Video has bought the worldwide rights to Irene Taylor’s documentary about Dion titled “I Am: Celine Dion.”

“This last couple of years has been such a challenge for me, the journey from discovering my condition to learning how to live with and manage it, but not to let it define me,” the “Because You Loved Me” songstress said.

“As the road to resuming my performing career continues, I have realized how much I have missed it, of being able to see my fans,” she continued.

“During this absence, I decided I wanted to document this part of my life, to try to raise awareness of this little-known condition, to help others who share this diagnosis,” Dion concluded.

In December, Dion’s older sister, Claudette, gave French-language magazine 7 Jours a heartbreaking update about the singer’s condition.

“She’s working hard, but she doesn’t have control over her muscles. What breaks my heart is that she’s always been disciplined,” Claudette told the outlet at the time. “She’s always worked hard. Our mother always told her, ‘You’re going to do it well, you’re going to do it properly.’”