Celine Dion delivers stirring comeback performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony

Against the rainy Paris night sky, Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career with a powerful performance from the Eiffel Tower to open the Olympic Games.

Against the rainy Paris night sky, Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career with a powerful performance from the Eiffel Tower to open the Olympic Games.

The triumphant return confirmed weeks of speculation that Quebec's crown jewel of pop would be part of the opening ceremony watched by millions around the world.

Even that anticipation couldn't foreshadow the poignancy of the moment — a defiant Dion singing her heart out from the edge of the tower less than two years after going public with her debilitating stiff person syndrome diagnosis.

Dressed in a sparkling Dior white beaded gown, Dion stood beneath the glowing Olympic rings while she sang Édith Piaf's “L’Hymne à l’amour” with the same command that earned her a reputation as a one-of-a-kind performer.           

She was accompanied by a pianist whose grand piano shimmered with light bouncing off the puddled rain.

As the song reached its crescendo, Dion was visibly emotional but she held her composure.

The performance was the grand finale of a four-hour show that saw about 6,800 athletes face the pouring rain as they travelled down the Seine River on dozens of boats.