Celine Dion appears in public for first time in almost 4 years after Stiff Person Syndrome diagnosis

MANILA, Philippines — Singer Celine Dion appeared in public for the first time in three-and-a-half years since she was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune neurological disorder.

Dion was last seen in public at a New Jersey concert of her "Courage World Tour" in March 2020, and then the pandemic shut down most of the world.

Last October 30, Dion attended an ice hockey game between her hometown team the Montreal Canadiens and the Vegas Golden Knights at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with her three sons, later going to the Canadiens' locker room for photos with several players and head coach Martin St-Louis.

Dion shared the photos on her Instagram account while the Canadiens' Instagram account posted a video of the singer interacting with the players in French.

A post shared by Ce?line Dion (@celinedion)

Last November 4, Dion was spotted in Las Vegas again, this time attending the final show of fellow singer Katy Perry's two-year residency at the Resorts World Theatre with her 13-year-old twins Eddy and Nelson.

Other celebrity guests in attendance were Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Cameron Diaz, Zoe Saldana, and Perry's three-year-old daughter Daisy Dove with husband Orlando Bloom herself making a first-ever public appearance.

"I'm Katy Perry, if you’re wondering. I'm not Celine Dion. That show is coming up next!" Perry said onstage, referencing Dion's postponed Las Vegas residency from 2021.

Dion was supposed to perform in Las Vegas from November 2021 to February 2022 but had to delay because of medical issues. 

Katy Perry referencing Céline in the crowd at Saturday nights show and hinting at her return too ????#celinedion#celinedionlive2024#celineonvegas#celineisback

pic.twitter.com/WM2CLeVsdD

The singer then revealed last December that she was diagnosed with Stiff-Person Syndrome or SPS which causes muscle stiffness as well as spasms.

If left untreated, SPS can potentially lead to difficulty walking and significantly impact a person's ability to perform routine daily tasks.

This led to Dion cancelling her "Courage World Tour" dates from 2023 to 2024 to continue daily physical therapy as SPS was affecting her singing.

"I'm so sorry to disappoint all of you once