Celine Dion makes a triumphant musical return at the Paris Olympics with a mesmerizing serenade beneath the Eiffel Tower.

PARIS (AP) — Celine Dion made a spectacular comeback on Friday with a highly anticipated performance, closing the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony from the iconic Eiffel Tower.

Nearly two years after announcing her diagnosis of stiff person syndrome, Dion delivered a powerful rendition of Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” (“Hymn to Love”) as the grand finale of the approximately four-hour event. Although her appearance had been widely speculated, both organizers and Dion’s team had remained tight-lipped about the performance.

A media guide detailing Dior’s role in the opening ceremony described the finale as featuring “a world star in a purely grandiose, brilliantly scintillating performance.”

Dion had been off the stage since 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic led to the postponement of her tour to 2022. That tour was ultimately canceled following her diagnosis.

The rare neurological disorder, which causes muscle rigidity and painful spasms, impacted Dion's ability to walk and sing. In June, during the premiere of the documentary “I Am: Celine Dion,” she shared with The Associated Press that her return required extensive therapy—physically, mentally, emotionally, and vocally.

“That’s why it takes some time,” Dion explained. “But it’s exactly why we’re doing this—I’m already starting to come back.”

Before the documentary’s release, Dion had begun making strides toward her comeback. In February, she made a surprise appearance at the Grammy Awards, where she presented the final award of the evening to a standing ovation.

For Friday's performance, Dion's pearl-studded outfit was indeed designed by Dior. On French television, Daphné Bürki, the Paris organizing committee's director of design and costume for ceremonies, reminisced about Dion's excitement for the opportunity.

“When we reached out to Celine Dion a year ago, she immediately agreed,” Bürki said.

She also won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest with a French-language song, representing Switzerland. Early in her English-language career, even before “My Heart Will Go On” from *Titanic*, she was chosen to perform “The Power of The Dream,” the theme song for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Although Dion is not from France but from Quebec, she has a deep connection to both the country and the Olympics. Her first language is French, and she has achieved significant success on the charts in France and other French-speaking countries.

Dion’s song selection also had a sports connection: Piaf wrote it for her lover, the boxer Marcel Cerdan, who tragically died in a plane crash shortly after the song was written.

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Contributions to this report were made by Associated Press journalists Sylvie Corbet, Jerome Pugmire, and Samuel Petrequin.

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