Céline Dion emotionally introduced the upcoming documentary “I Am: Celine Dion” at its New York City premiere, where she was met with a standing ovation.
The Prime Video documentary delves into her life and her battle with stiff-person syndrome (SPS), a rare neurological disorder. Dion, 56, expressed her gratitude to everyone involved in the film, including her children.
The singer took the stage and was immediately greeted with enthusiastic applause. She began her speech by thanking her physician, Dr. Amanda Piquet, and the documentary filmmaker, Irene Taylor Brodsky. Dion noted that it was the largest crowd she had faced in years.
“Of course, I wouldn’t be here without the daily love and support from my wonderful children,” she said. Dion shares three sons, René-Charles, 23, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 13, with her late husband, René Angélil.
“Thank you, René-Charles. Thank you, Nelson. Thank you, Eddy. Thank you very much,” she said, as the audience continued their passionate applause.
Dion went on to thank her fans, stating, “And thanks to you, my fans, your presence in my journey has been a gift beyond measure. Your never-ending love and support for all the issues have delivered me to this moment.”
Sharing a personal story from the documentary, Dion said, “One of the stories you will hear from me in this movie as I was reading, learning about my condition. I compared myself — and I’m not saying this because we’re in New York — but I compared myself to an apple. Oh, it sounds like we made it up, but I did, and I was in Las Vegas,” she joked.
She continued, “When I said to myself that I compared myself to an apple from a tree, [I said], ‘I don’t want you [fans] to wait in line anymore if I don’t have any shiny apples for you,’” adding, “So a couple of days ago, I saw a message from a fan and it said, ‘We’re not here for the apple. We’re here for the truth.’”
Overcome with emotion, Dion wiped away a tear and said, “I cannot believe how fortunate I am to have my friends in my life.”
She was then joined on stage by René-Charles, who handed her a tissue. “Thank you to all of you from the bottom of my heart for being part of my journey. This movie is my love letter to each of you.”
She concluded with, “I hope to see you all again very soon,” and received a standing ovation from the audience. After the screening, Dion and Taylor waved to the audience amid continued applause.
For the event, the five-time Grammy winner wore an all-white outfit, including a long skirt and a long-sleeved blouse, accessorized with a silver belt, matching bracelets, and stud earrings.
