News of singer Céline Dion’s death spread quickly earlier this week causing concern among fans across the world. However the March 2023 report has now been confirmed as a complete hoax and just the latest in a string of fake celebrity death reports. Thankfully, the singer is alive and well.
Rumors of the singer’s alleged demise gained traction on Saturday after a ‘R.I.P. Céline Dion’ Facebook page attracted nearly one million of ‘likes’. Those who read the ‘About’ page were given a believable account of the singer’s passing: “At about 11 a.m. ET on Saturday (March 18, 2023), our beloved singer Céline Dion passed away. Céline Dion was born on March 30, 1968 in Repentigny. She will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.”
Hundreds of fans immediately started writing their messages of condolence on the Facebook page, expressing their sadness that the talented 54-year-old singer was dead. And as usual, Twittersphere was frenzied over the death hoax. Whereas some trusting fans believed the post, others were immediately skeptical of the report, perhaps learning their lesson from the huge amount of fake death reports emerging about celebrities over recent months.
Some pointed out that the news had not been carried on any major network, indicating that it was a fake report, as the death of a singer of Céline Dion’s stature would be major news across networks.
A recent poll conducted shows that a large majority (84%) of respondents think those Céline Dion death rumors are not funny anymore. On Sunday, March 19, the singer’s reps officially confirmed that Céline Dion is not dead.
“She joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. She’s still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet,” they said.
Some fans have expressed anger at the fake report saying it was reckless, distressing and hurtful to fans of the much loved singer. Others say this shows her extreme popularity across the globe.
Céline Dion death hoax dismissed since singer is alive and well. She’s been out of the limelight for so long that some websites went as far as to claim the “sad news” that she’d died.
She was under the radar for about a year after being plagued by health problems, and looked increasingly frail in her last public appearances. But Céline Dion is very much alive and has now finally revealed what has kept her out of the limelight for so long.
In a tearful post on Instagram, the 54-year-old Canadian singer broke the news that she has been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), a condition which causes muscles to tense uncontrollably and ultimately can leave sufferers as “human statues” as it progressively locks the body into rigid positions.
In an emotional video posted to her Instagram account on 8 December, Céline Dion, “I’ve always been an open book and I wasn’t ready to say anything before, but I’m ready now. I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges … We now know [SPS] is what’s been causing all of the spasms that I’ve been having.
“Unfortunately 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,” she continued.
“I have a great team of doctors working alongside me to help me get better and my precious children who are supporting me and giving me hope. I’m working hard with my support medicine therapist every day to build back my strength and my ability to perform again, but I have to admit it’s been a struggle,” she said.
As a result of this diagnosis, Dion has rescheduled her European tour, set to begin in spring 2023, in order to “concentrate on my health on this moment”, saying: “I have hope that I’m on the road to recovery. This is my focus and I’m doing everything that I can to recuperate.”
“Diagnosis for some rare conditions takes too long: more than a third of people with a rare condition have to wait more than five years from first noticing symptoms to getting a diagnosis. This can be a challenging, sometimes lonely experience, and we know some people’s account of their conditions can be doubted by healthcare professionals,” said Louise Fish, CEO of Genetic Alliance UK.
“Céline Dion opening up about her diagnosis is really welcome as we know that contact with others can play a vital role in helping people to live well with their condition. A personal story like this one will hopefully enable more people to reach out and offer support to one another. Charities supporting people with rare conditions can often play a vital role in making these connections.”
“When a diagnosis finally arrives it is a tremendously powerful moment, providing answers, information about the future, contact with people with the same rare condition and hopefully options for care and treatment. Diagnosis is just the start of a life-long journey for people living with rare, genetic conditions and their families.”
SPS affects approximately one in 200,000 individuals in the UK, and is caused by the body’s immune system attacking itself. There is no cure for the disease, but it is treatable in most cases through chemical intervention and immune therapies.
Dion first spoke about her SPS symptoms in October 2021, when she postponed the beginning of her Las Vegas residency due to what she described as “severe and persistent” muscle spasms.
“I’m heartbroken by this,” she said at the time. “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.”
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