Céline Dion and her family are in mourning today as her husband, René Angélil, passed away following a lengthy battle with throat cancer.
“Rene Angelil, 73, passed away this morning at his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer,” Angelil’s rep said in a statement on January 14. “The family requests that their privacy be respected at the moment.” Angélil had been fighting the cancer on and off for 18 years.
Angélil was born in Montreal, Canada and began his musical career as part of a Canadian pop rock group. He eventually went on to become a music manager and discovered Céline in 1980 when she submitted a demo tape of a song she had written with her mother. Céline was 12 years old.
He signed her shortly afterwards and mortgaged his home to pay for her debut album. They began dating when the singer was 19 and although their age gap raised some eyebrows, their love and marriage stood the test of time.
They married in 1994 and were raising their three children, 14-year-old René-Charles, and 5-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy.
Céline spoke candidly of her husband’s courage in the face of his illness in an 2015 interview with USA Today and how she would be by his side right up until the end to make sure she honored his wish to “die in her arms”.
She also explains how when things would seem at their bleakest, she would simply look at him and say, “I got you.”
“You can have your shaking knees at the end, but when someone you love falls and needs help, it’s not time to cry,” she said. “Afterwards, sure. But not yet.”
Rest in peace, René. Share this news and Céline’s brave words with your friends.
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