The Grammys had Billy Joel, Joni Mitchell, and, to top it all off, Céline Dion, who has largely remained out of the public eye amid her ongoing battle with a rare neurological disorder. The singer graced the Grammys stage to present the Album of the Year award to Taylor Swift on February 4, a little over a year after she canceled the Courage World Tour after being diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome. “Thank you all, I love you right back,†she said. “When I say that I’m happy to be here, I really mean it from my heart. Those who have been blessed enough to be here, the Grammy Awards, must never take for granted the tremendous love and joy music brings to our lives and to people all around the world.â€
Dion’s upcoming documentary I Am: Celine Dion traces how stiff-person syndrome affected her career and how she learned to live with the disorder, which has been causing persistent muscle spasms that make it difficult to perform. “It’s true that in both our dreams and hers, the goal is to return to the stage,†her sister Claudette Dion said last December. “In what capacity? I don’t know.†The Grammys were a good place to start.