A new documentary detailing Celine Dion’s ongoing battle with stiff-person syndrome will soon be available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, the company announced.
"I Am: Celine Dion" was created by Academy Award-nominated Irene Taylor, who followed Dion for more than a year to capture the megastar’s never-before-seen private life and the lengths she has gone to to continue performing for her beloved and loyal fans.
Amazon MGM Studios said the release date for the documentary will be announced later.
A year after canceling her highly anticipated Las Vegas residency for health concerns, Dion revealed she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome in December 2022 in a video she shared on social media.
The rare autoimmune neurological disorder causes muscle stiffness and spasms, limiting mobility and causing other symptoms like double vision and slurred speech, according to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. It is also more common in women.
The illness has forced Dion to repeatedly cancel concerts, including her European tour earlier this year that was scheduled to run from Aug. 26 through April 22, 2024.
At the end of 2023, her sister, Claudette Dion, told a Canadian news outlet that she had lost control of her muscles but hopes to perform again.
“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,” Dion said in the press release from Amazon MGM. “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.”
Health experts said there is little known about what causes the disorder and there are no treatments that can cure it, but medications can help manage the symptoms and some treatments may help prevent its progression.
Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios said, “This documentary is a raw, intimate portrayal of a pivotal time in her personal life and career, pulling back the curtain on her journey as she overcomes an unthinkable diagnosis.”
Celine Dion lost control of muscles amid stiff-person syndrome battle
Despite a progressive and incurable autoimmune disease, the singer still has hopes of one day returning to the stage.
