Lewis Capaldi had Tourette syndrome tics onstage and his fans' response gave us goosebumps

Lewis Capaldi has become a beloved figure in British music. The Glasgow-born singer is renowned for his captivating concerts and has performed around the world, touching hearts with his raw talent and hits like "Someone You Loved" and "Before You Go." During a concert in Germany, Capaldi experienced tics due to Tourette Syndrome, causing a brief pause in his performance. In a touching moment, his fans stepped in to help him finish the song.

Tourette Syndrome is a neurological disorder marked by repetitive, involuntary movements and vocalizations known as tics. The estimates that around 1.4 million people in the US have this disorder. During the final chorus of "Someone You Loved," Capaldi experienced a shoulder twitch and had to momentarily turn away from the microphone, pausing his performance. His dedicated fans stepped up and finished the song for him, ensuring the show went on.

As the audience sang, Capaldi stepped back and tossed his remaining guitar picks to fans. The entire moment was shared on X by user @Elle_srs, with the caption: "Sharing this because as an absolute fan of Lewis Capaldi, it's beautiful to see fans see him experience his episodes and instead of being mean or selfish about it, they sang until he gained back control."

Capaldi posted a message on his Instagram account for his fans, thanking them for their efforts. He revealed that he had to take a break from singing temporarily to focus on his well-being. His post read, "I'm very sorry to let you know I'm going to be taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future." He further informed his followers that he was still learning to adjust to the impact of Tourette's and needed to spend more time working on his mental and physical health. The singer concluded the post, "Playing for you every night is all I've ever dreamed of so this has been the most difficult decision of my life. I'll be back as soon as I possibly can."

This was not the first time that the Scottish singer has experienced tics during a concert. In early 2023, his fans expressed their concern for the artist. To explain his situation, he posted a clip on TikTok. He started the video by addressing the viral clip featuring him. He then explained, "I've got Tourette's, so I'm just twitching a bit here. It's not an issue in the slightest, I'm absolutely fine." He explained the condition to his fans, "This just happens when I get tired, nervous, excited, whatever...This is at the end of an hour and a half gig and I'm singing in front of 15,000 people." He ended the video by hilariously asking his fans to come to his concert to see him "twitch live in person."

The clip soon found messages of support from his fans, with many admiring his courage to speak about the disorder. One user, @sinnat_rlfs, commented, "My son, he's 10. He has Tourette's. I can't even begin to explain how happy this video made him! Mind blown a famous singer has Tourette's." Another user, @fireimp76, commented, "This human must be protected at all costs. Fabulous talent and just saying ‘oh, it’s Tourette’s’ shows he’s 100% honestly himself all the time."

Capaldi revealed his diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome in 2022 in an Instagram live video. He stated that he was diagnosed several months prior. In an interview with Lorraine Kelly on ITV News, he talked about his condition. He told the reporter, "It made a lot of sense. I kind of raise my eyebrows quite a lot, I do this kind of shoulder thing, I take these deep breaths every now and then." He added, "And I thought I was dying. I’m a bit of a hypochondriac, so I thought I had some degenerative disease, but I don’t, so good news on that front everybody."

This article originally appeared 3 months ago.