We're not sure our hearts will go on without an appearance from Céline Dion during fashion's biggest night.
Though the "I'm Alive" singer was rumored to be returning to the Met Gala this first Monday of May for the first time in five years – and bringing back the fashion A game fans had grown to love prior to her retreat from the spotlight due to her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome – unfortunately it wasn't the case.
Other stars who have long been favorites at the Met Gala who also didn't show up were Blake Lively, Rihanna (who reportedly came down with the flu), Katy Perry, Anne Hathaway, and Hailey Bieber.
Stars that did show up however included Lauren Sánchez with fiancé Jeff Bezos, Jessica Biel, Rosalía, Ariana Grande, Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Jude Law, Kaia Gerber, Gigi Hadid, plus co-chairs Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth, and Zendaya, among others.
The last time Céline attended the Met Gala was in 2019, when the theme of the night was "Camp: Notes on Fashion," inspired by Susan Sontag's seminal essay from 1964.
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Céline has been in recent weeks inching her way back into the spotlight, after her lengthy, ongoing battle with Stiff Person Syndrome effectively halted her music career and previous plans for a world tour.
After recent both lowkey and high profile outings, she officially marked the beginning of her comeback as the cover star for Vogue France's May issue, in which she opened up about her debilitating health diagnosis, and highly-anticipated return to the stage.
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"It's morally hard to live from day to day. It's hard, I'm working very hard and tomorrow will be even harder," she admitted.
Nonetheless, she added: "But there's one thing that will never stop, and that's the will. It's the passion. It's the dream. It's the determination."
MORE: Céline Dion goes into detail about stiff person syndrome in heartbreaking revelation
The theme of the ball – in honor of the subsequent Costume Institute's forthcoming exhibition – is "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion," not to be confused with the dress code of the event, which is "The Garden of Time."
The latter is inspired by J.G. Ballard's short story of the same title, written in 1962, which while can be interpreted in various ways, florals, both groundbreaking and not groundbreaking, are expected.
The theme itself – which in the exhibition will be divided into the categories of land, sea, and sky – pays homage to over 400 years of fashion history by way of approximately 250 rare items drawn from the Costume Institute's permanent collection, many of which are too fragile to be worn again.
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