Céline Dion has postponed her upcoming tour dates after developing a rare neurological disorder. Dion posted a video message to Instagram informing her followers that she’s been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, which affects only about one in a million people. The condition has caused spasms that have hindered her basic functionality, so several of her early 2023 dates have been pushed back to 2024 and a handful of summer 2023 shows are canceled.

“While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all of the spasms that I’ve been having,” an emotional Dion said in the video. “Unfortunately, these 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 used to. It hurts me to tell you that I won’t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.” She added, “I miss seeing all of you, being on the stage, performing for you. I always give 100% when I do my shows, but my condition is not allowing me to give you that right now.”

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke summarizes Stiff Person Syndrome like so:

SPS is characterized by fluctuating muscle rigidity in the trunk and limbs and a heightened sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch, and emotional distress, which can set off muscle spasms. Abnormal postures, often hunched over and stiffened, are characteristic of the disorder. People with SPS can be too disabled to walk or move, or they are afraid to leave the house because street noises, such as the sound of a horn, can trigger spasms and falls. SPS affects twice as many women as men. It is frequently associated with other autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, thyroiditis, vitiligo, and pernicious anemia. Scientists don’t yet understand what causes SPS, but research indicates that it is the result of an autoimmune response gone awry in the brain and spinal cord.

Dion issued separate videos in English and French. Here’s her full statement in English, as transcribed by Variety:

Hello everyone. I’m sorry it’s taking me so long to reach out to you. I miss you all so much. And I can’t wait to be on stage talking to you in person. As you know, 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 and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.

Recently I have been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called Stiff-Person Syndrome, which affects something like one in a million people. While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this 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.

It hurts me to tell you today this means I won’t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.

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 sports 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. All I know is singing, it’s what I’ve done all my life and it’s what I love to do the most.