Lyrics for a Cause: Céline Dion sells memorabilia amid battle with stiff person’s syndrome
The singer is auctioning off the handwritten lyrics of two of her songs, ‘The Prayer’ and ‘The Gift,’ as part of the event organized by the Music Health Alliance
Céline Dion is back in the spotlight after a year off the stage. The singer — who cancelled her shows in January after revealing that she was battling stiff person syndrome (SPS) — will auction off intimate memorabilia. Handwritten lyrics to two of her songs will be among the items in the Music Health Alliance’s Lyrics for a Cause benefit auction organized by Julien’s Auctions. Music Health Alliance is a nonprofit organization that gives people in the music industry help with healthcare advocacy and resources. According to the organizers, proceeds “will provide aid and support to underserved music professionals in their time of need.”
The two songs are The Prayer, which she recorded in 1999 in collaboration with the famous Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and The Gift, which she composed for the 2023 movie Love Again. The price guide for each song is between $200 and $600.
The auction includes an historic collection of lyrics from some of the most legendary singers and songwriters from the 20th and 21st century spanning country, pop, rock, gospel, folk, Christian and alternative rock music. In addition to Dion’s handwritten lyrics, it also includes memorabilia from artists such as Garth Brooks, Hozier and Rick Springfield.
The bidding began on Monday and ends on Tuesday, November 14 at 4:00 p.m. It is being held online at Julien’s Live Auctions and in person at the Hard Rock Café in Nashville.
“Julien’s Auctions is honored and privileged to partner again with Music Health Alliance on our annual benefit relief initiative,” Julien’s co-founder and executive director Martin Nolan said, as reported by The Daily Mail. “For 20 years, Julien’s has included philanthropy in our auctions to give back to the music community that has touched our lives through their artistry and gifts.”
He continued: “We look forward to presenting this auction for the first time in Nashville, where the public will be offered a chance to own these special and unique lyrics of some of the biggest songs in music history while supporting this critical and important cause.”
The singer of the smash hit My Heart Will Go On announced her battle with SPS at the end of 2022. The disorder affects the central nervous system and causes muscle spasms. SPS is extremely rare, affecting one in a million people. It causes acute pain and difficulty moving.
“The spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal chords to sing the way I’m used to,” explained Dion, when announcing her illness in December 2022.
The singer’s last concert was in March 2020 in Newark (United States). Her concert tour, Courage World Tour, was put on hold by the Covid-19 pandemic, and she has not been able to perform since then.
In April this year, the Canadian singer announced that she would be appearing in the romantic comedy Love Again. Dion, who stars as herself in the film, has also provided music for the soundtrack.
The last update about the singer’s health was made in August 2022, when her sister, Claudette, told Le Journal de Montreal: “We can’t find any medicine that works, but having hope is important.”
Back in May, a source told RadarOnline that the singer was having difficulty walking. “Her disease is incurable,” the source explained. “And as hard as she’s worked at it with doctors and therapists, she simply isn’t getting better.”
Despite this, her sister says that Dion and her family “trust” that she will one day be back on the stage.
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