Céline Dion (55) has been away from the stage since 2020. Even so, her health has been a cause of concern among her followers: since the singer announced that she suffers from rigid person syndrome, both she and her sister Claudette have publicly shared various stages of her illness, like they still haven’t found a medicine to help her.
It is a rare neurological condition characterized by progressive muscle stiffness and repeated episodes of painful muscle spasms, and affects both your motor skills and your voice. The artist, winner of two Oscar awards, will participate in a charity auction to raise funds and contribute to medical research.
Stiff person syndrome “causes episodes of stiffness and muscle spasms in the muscles of the trunk, arms, and legs,” according to the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences in the United States. It is believed to be an autoimmune disease associated with other diseases such as diabetes, thyroiditis or anemia.
This is an extremely unusual disease. According to the American organization NORD, which supports people with rare diseases, the incidence is around one person in a million. If left untreated, the disease can cause difficulty walking and significantly affect a person’s ability to perform routine daily tasks.
Céline Dion has decided to participate in a solidarity auction to provide financial resources to researchers, so that studies in this field (or others) can advance. Two manuscripts have been put up for sale in which the lyrics of two of her songs appear written: The Prayer and The Gift.
The artist was nominated for the Grammy Awards with the song The Prayer. She recorded it with tenor Andrea Bocelli in 1988 (in English) for the film The Magic Sword: The Quest for Camelot, and they later covered it in Italian to include it on their respective studio albums: These Are Special Times and Sogno. The piece has been included in lot number 13, which includes the sheet music of David Foster, writer of the song.
A sheet of paper with engraved lyrics from The Gift, the soundtrack to the film Love Again, will also be auctioned. Dion participated in the piece starring Priyanka Chopra and Sam Heughan. This lot will be number 42 on the list, which includes a CD with the message “Love is the gift!” (Love is the Gift!), written by composer Tina Parol.
The house Julen’s Auctions has been in charge of launching the auction. It is part of the Lyrics for a cause initiative. On Tuesday, November 14, bids will be made on pieces by Céline Dion and other notable artists at the Hard Rock Café in Nashville, United States, although it can be followed online through the company’s website. The starting price of the two songs by the Canadian singer is 200 dollars (188 euros), and it is expected that there will be offers of up to 800 dollars (755 euros).
Proceeds from the bid will go to the Music Health Alliance for the fourth consecutive year. Martin Nolan, co-founder and CEO of the auction house, explained: “Julien’s Auctions is honored and privileged to once again partner with Music Health Alliance on our annual charitable relief initiative. Julien’s has included philanthropy in its auctions to giving back to the music community that has marked our lives with their art and gifts,” according to Daily Mail. It is a non-profit organization that allows professionals in the music industry access to medical care.
During the charity auction, a total of 57 lots can be purchased, with objects from relevant artists in country, folk, gospel, rock… For sale are a pair of shoes signed by Brenda Lee (Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree), several sheet music by The Eagles, an electric guitar signed by Keith Urban (Nicole Kidman’s husband) and a tote bag signed by Hozier, plus other sheet music, images and objects by artists such as Rick Springield, Chris Stapleton and Melissa Etheridge, among others . Many of the objects have been created specifically to collaborate with the auction.
