\n<\/p>\n
Celine Dion<\/strong><\/a> promised fans at the New York City premiere of a new documentary about her life that she hoped to return to performing \u201cvery, very soon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Dion, 56, became emotional while speaking in front of the audience gathered for the Lincoln Center screening of I Am: Celine Dion<\/i> on Monday, June 17. \u201cThis is by far the biggest crowd I\u2019ve had in years,\u201d she said, adding, \u201cI hope to see you all again very, very soon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Grammy-winning singer, who\u2019s battling stiff-person syndrome, brought son Ren\u00e9-Charles Ang\u00e9lil<\/b>, 23, with her to the event for the film, <\/span>which makes its official debut June 25 on Amazon Prime Video. Ren\u00e9-Charles wore a black suit and tie while Dion sported a white blouse and long, white skirt.<\/span><\/p>\n Inside the theater, she was greeted with cheers as she walked onstage. \u201cI cannot believe how fortunate I am to have my family in my life,\u201d she said, wiping away tears as Ren\u00e9-Charles arrived to hand her a napkin to wipe her eyes with. She thanked her fans \u201c<\/span>from the bottom of my heart for being part of my journey. This movie is my love letter to each of you,\u201d <\/span>she said. (According to\u00a0<\/span>Deadline<\/a>, Kelly Clarkson<\/strong>, Gayle King<\/strong> and Dion\u2019s neurologist, Dr. Amanda Piquet<\/strong>, were among the many guests there.)<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYour presence in my journey has been a gift beyond measure,\u201d Dion continued. \u201c<\/span>Your never-ending love and support over all these years have delivered me to this moment tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Last week, the \u201cMy Heart Will Go On\u201d icon told Today <\/i>host Hoda Kotb<\/strong> that she would not let her stiff-person diagnosis<\/a> put a stop to her career.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat did this disease take away from you?\u201d Kotb asked Dion in a June 11 sit-down interview. Dion replied, \u201cIt didn\u2019t take anything away from me. I\u2019m going to go back on stage, even if I have to crawl. Even if I have to talk with my hands, I will. I will.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Dion <\/span>announced that she\u2019d been diagnosed with the rare neurological disorder<\/span><\/a> in December 2022. She explained to Kotb that she<\/span> \u201cdid not take the time\u201d to accept her health condition because her husband and longtime manager, Rene Ang\u00e9lil<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>was also \u201cfighting for his own life.\u201d (Rene died in January 2016<\/span><\/a> at age 73 following a long battle with cancer. The pair shared sons Ren\u00e9-Charles and Nelson and Eddy, both 13.)<\/p>\n