Singer Celine Dion was married to Canadian talent manager Rene Angelil for twenty-two years; he was 26 years her senior. The brother of Dion introduced the couple.
In 1980, when Celine Dion, a well-known Canadian singer, was just 12 years old and Rene Angelil, a music producer, was 38, they began dating.
On the back of the record for French-Canadian singer Ginette Reno, Dion’s brother had seen Angelil’s name. He provided Angelil a copy of his sister’s debut original song because he was aware of her musical prowess.
Young Dion and Angelil had never met before, but after hearing the song, Angelil invited him to a live audition in Quebec. Years later, the songbird thought back to the wonderful time she had spent singing for him:
“He began crying as I was singing. At that point, I was confident in my work.”
After hearing his future wife’s strong singing, Angelil decided that he wanted to make Dion a superstar and made significant efforts to do so.
Angelil even took Dion and her mother on tour in Canada, Europe, and Japan in 1981, even if it meant mortgaging his house to pay for her debut album.
Dion proved Angelil right when her debut song, “La Voix du Bon Dieu,” became a hit in Quebec, opening the door for her superstardom in her native province. Angelil had no doubts about Dion’s abilities.
The manager-client relationship between the two parties advanced beyond that in 1987. Dion and Angelil went on their first date when she was 19 years old, however she later acknowledged that they had been dating for almost a year prior.
Additionally, she was succeeding in her business endeavors. Although Dion’s album “Unison” was released in 1990, her duet with Peabo Bryson in which she sang a song from the “Beauty and the Beast” soundtrack helped her become a household name.
Dion and Angelil had a significant year because they got engaged. Despite the fact that nobody outside of their relationship knows about it.
Two years into their engagement in 1993, the pair had still not publicly announced their relationship. The singer of “I’m Alive” admitted to People in 1994 that she was worried about how the public would view her relationship with Angelil.
She eventually worked up the nerve to confess her undying love for her companion, saying, “When you’re in love, you want to scream it to the world,” to quote Dion.
The couple had a 26-year age difference, yet she chose to make their relationship public through her music five years later on her album “The Color of My Love.”
Despite their disparity in ages, the couple persisted in their love and got married in 1994. Dion was anxious about what the world would think of her connection with Angelil, but she was least concerned about what the general public would think.
Dion’s mother disapproved of Dion’s relationship with Angelil. According to the singer of “That’s The Way It Is,” her mother didn’t approve of their relationship.
“I have to admit that he wasn’t the prince charming my mum was looking for. It was challenging.”
Within a few years of Angelil managing Dion’s professional career, she began to have a different opinion of him. The singing icon acknowledged that she started feeling things for him when she was 17 or 18. Dion claimed that her mother had also noticed the change.
“I may have confessed to her my affections for Rene when I was 19 years old. Rene has been married twice and has three children. She did everything in her power to kill him and awaken me “She spoke up.
She was at odds with her mother as a result of that incident and got irritated with her. She did, however, understand why her mother had put up such a fight.
“At first, I was quite irritated and angry with her because I told her, “It’s not just like a ridiculous thing.” It’s true! But she made an effort to explain to me that this man had already failed twice, had three children, wasn’t responsible, “Dion went on to add.
Over time, her mother came to terms with their relationship, and the 13 siblings in her family came to love Angelil. In light of that, Dion said, “She had no other option. Love triumphed.”
After becoming a mother ten years later, the “I Surrender” singer could fully relate to her mother’s worries. Dion understood her mother was worried about her dating an older man.
Dion, a mother of three boys, said that she wouldn’t be as tolerant if her son wanted to wed a 45-year-old twice-divorced lady with children. She laughed:
“Take your hand off my son,” I would say if the roles were reversed when I had my first son and he came to me with this woman who is 45 years old and had children.
In spite of this, Dion and Angelil’s marriage endured, and in 2000, they repeated their vows. On December 7, 1994, the couple exchanged vows in a lavish wedding ceremony at Montreal’s Notre Dame Basilica.
Their wedding was broadcast on Canadian television. The bride was stunning in a gown with a 20-foot train, but the focus was on her headpiece.
Dion’s wedding gown, created by Mirella and Steve Gentile, included both lace and crystals. She wore a hairpiece made of more than 2,000 Swarovski crystals and weighing more than seven pounds as her headgear.
Dion’s marriage was upended when Angelil was given a throat cancer diagnosis in 1998, even though everything else appeared like something out of a fairy tale to her. Despite her hectic schedule, the caring wife made the decision to put her career on hold and take a break in order to devote her complete attention to her husband.
“It wasn’t always easy for Rene and me. Not always was it simple. There was conflict between us. Being a husband and wife has never been simple, and now we have the added burden of running a business together while juggling tours, concerts, events, and travel. It required a lot of effort, “said Dion.
Later, the couple found out that Angelil had been cancer-free since 2000. After hearing the good news, they renewed their vows to one other in a Melkite Byzantine ceremony in Las Vegas.
A year later, in January 2001, they welcomed their first child together and became parents. Rene Charles, their first son, was born to Angelil and Dion through in vitro fertilization (IVF).
After taking time off to care for Angelil and give birth to her baby, Dion went back to work in 2002. She established a residency after one of her hit tracks, “A New Day Has Come,” was released, and she quickly established herself as a mainstay in Las Vegas.
All of this was made possible by her devoted spouse, who made sure she received the spot. The excellent musical career of his wife was the brainchild of Angelil.
Years later, health issues prevented the 2009 success from continuing. A clogged artery required the pop singer Angelil to have heart surgery. Later, the spokesman for the pair said that everything went smoothly and that he returned home soon after.
Just ten days after making her pregnancy known to the public, she miscarried, presenting Dion and Angelil with yet another challenge.
After an unsuccessful in vitro procedure in July 2009, the incidence happened. That did not stop the couple from doing IVF once more, though.
After their devastating loss, they managed to withstand the storm and welcomed twins. Dion announced her twin pregnancy in May 2010. Angelil, a proud father, told People that they were fortunate:
She had hoped for just one child, so the news that we are having two is doubly fortunate.
At the time, the couple had had six rounds of IVF, and Dion took steps to improve her chances of becoming pregnant. In October 2010, she and her life partner welcomed their twin boys, Nelson and Eddy.
Angelil’s health issues persisted, obscuring their joy, and to his dismay, the disease reappeared in 2014. In Vegas in 2015, Dion spoke candidly about her husband’s poor health during a news conference.
“I fear losing him because it would be terrible. But I must prove to myself, my husband, and my children that I am resilient and that we are all okay “said Dion. “At first, I didn’t want to be here. I don’t require it. Without a doubt, I enjoy performing for audiences, but I also have priorities.”
Sadly, Angelil tragically lost his lengthy fight with throat cancer in January 2016 at the age of 73. Dion did her best to focus on being a mom to her boys after he passed away by remaining upbeat for them.
The mother of three explained to People in May 2016 that she wanted to demonstrate to her children her strength. Even though Angelil passed away more than five years ago, his bereaved wife still feels him “inside” her.
In November 2019, Dion admitted to Andy Cohen on “Watch What Happens Live” that she “sees him through my children’s eyes every day.” The actress continued, “I’m passionate about life, and I’m blessed to have my lovely sons.”
The Grammy Award winner revealed that despite moving on, she still kept the possibility of dating open, saying, “It doesn’t necessarily follow that I won’t meet someone. It would be wonderful if I did. I still have feelings for Rene, therefore it will be amazing if I don’t.”
Dion revealed that she had learned from her experience with Angelil’s passing and his unending love during her appearance on “Today.”
“Rene has, in my opinion, given me a great deal over the years and even today. I saw my children. We cohabitate with him, as I observe them. We are still his tenants. He is constantly a part of our lives, so I have to admit that I feel incredibly powerful “She spoke.
Dion posted a moving tribute to Angelil on Instagram on the sixth anniversary of his passing. She shared a monochrome picture of her partner along with the lyrics to her 2019 single “Courage.”
The number one selling recording artist claimed that she would be lying if she pretended to be in good health. She admitted that she had at least 100 thoughts about him, saying, “I miss you, Celine, because I hear your words in the echo of my voice just if you’re there.”
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