In the world of music, few names resonate as powerfully as Celine Dion. With her angelic voice and timeless hits, she has touched the hearts of millions around the globe. However, recent rumors and speculations have raised concerns among her fans, leading to the pressing question, “Is Celine Dion dead? Did Celine Dion pass away?”
Today, we will look into these rumors, providing a comprehensive and factual account of the current status of this beloved music icon.
The Death Hoax
In late July 2023, a death hoax circulated on social media claiming that world-renowned singer Celine Dion had passed away. This rumor was spread by several Facebook pages that published posts hinting at Dion’s death or new developments about her personal health. These posts directed users to obscure websites with articles containing old news about Dion’s health. The goal of this effort appeared to be to drive users to view ads on the websites, which meant revenue. However, these claims were false, and the rumor was nothing more than an apparent death hoax.
A misleading video was posted on Facebook and TikTok in March 2023, claiming that Dion was “seriously sick” and dying. The video showed a woman in a hospital bed, being wheeled into a corridor while some people watched her by the side and others walked behind her. The caption of the video reportedly said that Dion was “seriously sick” and dying. However, the woman in the video was not Celine Dion. The original video was posted by a TikTok user for her dying cousin, who had chosen to donate her organs upon her death. This was additional confirmation that the person in the video wasn’t Dion. Dion’s management also confirmed that the news of the singer’s demise was fake. People took to social media to call out the person who posted the video on Facebook for spreading false information. They also reported the video, which is no longer visible to view on the social media platform.
Debunking the Death Hoax
Celine Dion’s management responded to the death hoax by confirming that the singer was alive. They dismissed the rumors, stating that Celine Dion was not the woman seen in the misleading video that was circulating on social media. The original video was traced back to a TikTok user who confirmed that the hospital patient in the footage was her dying cousin who had chosen to donate her organs upon her death. This confirmation debunked the false claims that the woman in the video was Celine Dion.
The reaction of fans and the public to the death hoax was of concern and disbelief. Many fans were searching for “breaking news” in regard to Facebook rumors about Celine Dion’s health, including to find out if she was dead. However, as some of those users likely began to recognize, the rumor was nothing more than an apparent death hoax. Fans took to social media to call out the person who posted the video on Facebook for spreading false information. They also reported the video, which is no longer visible to view on the social media platform. A recent poll conducted for the Celebrity Post shows that a large majority (84%) of respondents think those Celine Dion death rumors are not funny anymore.
Celine Dion’s Health Condition
Regarding her health, in December 2022, Celine Dion announced that she was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
SPS is a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that affects roughly one or two out of every million people. This condition is characterized by muscle stiffness and spasms, which can occur at random or be triggered by certain stimuli, including loud noises, touch, and emotional distress. The spasms can be so severe that they cause the person to fall down.
In Dion’s case, the illness has been causing difficulties when she walks and not allowing her to use her vocal cords to sing the way she’s used to. The symptoms of SPS have significantly impacted both her personal life and career. She has been forced to put her career on hold since the diagnosis, cancelling all of her 2023 and 2024 tour dates. She has previously said that trying to overcome this autoimmune disorder has been one of the hardest experiences of her life.
The symptoms of SPS can spread to other areas of the body and/or get worse over time. Symptoms can take several months to a few years to develop. Some people’s symptoms remain the same for years. Others experience slowly worsening symptoms, including more severe spasticity/rigidity, which can limit their ability to perform activities of daily living.
This news was misconstrued in late July 2023, leading to false rumors about her health status, including claims of her deteriorating condition and canceling her world tour. These rumors were based on old news and were part of an organized effort on Facebook to drive traffic to certain websites for revenue.
Despite the challenges, Dion remains determined to one day get back onto the stage and to live as normal of a life as possible. She undergoes athletic, physical, and vocal therapy five days a week. She works on her toes, her knees, her calves, her fingers, her singing, her voice. She has chosen to work with all her body and soul, from head to toe, with a medical team.
