A lifelong love. Celine Dion‘s husband, René Angélil, died in 2016, but the legendary songstress is devoted to keeping his memory alive.
“He’s as alive as he was before,” the Grammy winner told Australian TV show The Project in 2018. “Not physically with us, but I live with him — I see him every day through the eyes of my children.”
The “Because You Loved Me” artist met Angélil in 1980 when she was 12 years old and he was 38. At the time, the producer was married to Canadian pop star Anne Renée, with whom he shared son Jean-Pierre and daughter Anne-Marie. (He also shared son Patrick with first wife Denyse Duquette.)
Angélil decide to manage Dion’s career after her brother Jacques sent him a demo tape of her debut single, “Ce n’était qu’un rêve.” He mortgaged his house to fund her first album, La Voix du Bon Dieu, which made her an instant star in her native Canada.
In her 2000 memoir, My Story, My Dream, Dion said that her relationship with Angélil — who divorced Renée in 1985 — turned romantic in 1988 after she won the Eurovision Song Contest at age 20. “I threw myself into his arms,” she wrote. “Later that night, I was seated at the head of the bed, legs folded under the covers. I was happy about being alone with the man I loved.”
While Angélil continued managing Dion’s career, the pair kept their relationship hidden from the public until November 1993 — at which point they’d already been engaged for more than one year. The “My Heart Will Go On” singer later revealed that her mother, Thérèse Dion, initially didn’t approve of her romance with Angélil, who was 26 years her senior.
“It was very difficult for her,” the pop icon told Access Hollywood in 2013. “When I told her I had some really strong feelings for René, she tried everything to … make me snap out of it. I was very frustrated and mad at first, but she tried to make me understand that this man tried marriage twice before, he has three children, he’s not responsible.”
Eventually, Thérèse — who died in 2020 at age 92 — came around. “My whole family was in love, with him and she had no choice,” Celine recalled.
Celine and Angélil tied the knot in 1994, later welcoming son René-Charles in 2001 and twins Eddy and Nelson in 2010. Angélil continued managing his wife’s career until 2014 when he retired following his diagnosis with throat cancer.
The talent manager died at age 73 in January 2016, two days before his birthday. “He will be remembered as a gentle man, generous and kind, an unprecedented visionary, a modern Pygmalion, a renaissance man,” Celine wrote of her husband in a statement shared via social media at the time. “All who had the privilege of knowing him and of working closely with him, whether personally or professionally, salute a leader and a man of great intelligence and wisdom.”
Keep scrolling for Celine and Angélil’s complete relationship timeline:
A lifelong love. Celine Dion‘s husband, René Angélil, died in 2016, but the legendary songstress is devoted to keeping his memory alive.
“He’s as alive as he was before,” the Grammy winner told Australian TV show The Project in 2018. “Not physically with us, but I live with him — I see him every day through the eyes of my children.”
The “Because You Loved Me” artist met Angélil in 1980 when she was 12 years old and he was 38. At the time, the producer was married to Canadian pop star Anne Renée, with whom he shared son Jean-Pierre and daughter Anne-Marie. (He also shared son Patrick with first wife Denyse Duquette.)
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Angélil decide to manage Dion’s career after her brother Jacques sent him a demo tape of her debut single, “Ce n’était qu’un rêve.” He mortgaged his house to fund her first album, La Voix du Bon Dieu, which made her an instant star in her native Canada.
In her 2000 memoir, My Story, My Dream, Dion said that her relationship with Angélil — who divorced Renée in 1985 — turned romantic in 1988 after she won the Eurovision Song Contest at age 20. “I threw myself into his arms,” she wrote. “Later that night, I was seated at the head of the bed, legs folded under the covers. I was happy about being alone with the man I loved.”
While Angélil continued managing Dion’s career, the pair kept their relationship hidden from the public until November 1993 — at which point they’d already been engaged for more than one year. The “My Heart Will Go On” singer later revealed that her mother, Thérèse Dion, initially didn’t approve of her romance with Angélil, who was 26 years her senior.
“It was very difficult for her,” the pop icon told Access Hollywood in 2013. “When I told her I had some really strong feelings for René, she tried everything to … make me snap out of it. I was very frustrated and mad at first, but she tried to make me understand that this man tried marriage twice before, he has three children, he’s not responsible.”
Eventually, Thérèse — who died in 2020 at age 92 — came around. “My whole family was in love, with him and she had no choice,” Celine recalled.
Celine and Angélil tied the knot in 1994, later welcoming son René-Charles in 2001 and twins Eddy and Nelson in 2010. Angélil continued managing his wife’s career until 2014 when he retired following his diagnosis with throat cancer.
The talent manager died at age 73 in January 2016, two days before his birthday. “He will be remembered as a gentle man, generous and kind, an unprecedented visionary, a modern Pygmalion, a renaissance man,” Celine wrote of her husband in a statement shared via social media at the time. “All who had the privilege of knowing him and of working closely with him, whether personally or professionally, salute a leader and a man of great intelligence and wisdom.”
Keep scrolling for Celine and Angélil’s complete relationship timeline:
Credit: Andre Csillag/Shutterstock
1980
Celine’s brother sent Angélil her demo tape after finding his name printed on the back of an album. Angélil was impressed by what he heard and agree to manage Celine, who was then 12 years old. One year later, she released her first album, which instantly made her a star in Canada.
Credit: Pat Maxwell/Shutterstock
April 1988
Celine and Angélil’s relationship turned romantic after she won the Eurovision Song Contest at age 20 while representing Switzerland. She later revealed that they actually went on their first date when she was 19.
Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock
1991
The couple secretly got engaged after three years of dating.
Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock
November 1993
The twosome revealed their relationship in the liner notes of Celine’s third English-language album, The Colour of My Love. At the album’s release party, the “The Power of Love” singer revealed that she and Angélil were engaged.
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December 1994
Angélil and Celine tied the knot in a lavish ceremony held at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, Canada.
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1999
Angélil was diagnosed with throat cancer for the first time after doctors discovered a malignant lump on his neck. Celine briefly took a break from her career to care for her husband during his recovery.
Credit: Richard Drew/AP/Shutterstock
January 2000
The pair renewed their vows in Las Vegas after five years of marriage.
Credit: Patrick Sanfacon/Shutterstock
January 2001
The couple welcomed their first child, son René-Charles.
Credit: Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
November 2009
Celine suffered a miscarriage after trying to conceive a second child for years.
Credit: Shutterstock
October 2010
The twosome welcomed twin sons Eddy and Nelson after conceiving using in vitro fertilization.
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December 2013
Angélil’s cancer returned, and doctors removed a tumor from his throat.
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August 2014
Celine canceled all of her scheduled concerts, including her Las Vegas residency appearances and a tour of Asia, in order to care for Angélil at home. “I want to devote every ounce of my strength and energy to my husband’s healing, and to do so, it’s important for me to dedicate this time to him and to our children,” she said in a statement at the time. “I also want to apologize to all my fans everywhere, for inconveniencing them, and I thank them so much for their love and support.”
The singer returned to the stage one year later, saying she “didn’t want to be” there at first. “Don’t get me wrong, I love singing for people, but I have priorities,” she told USA Today in August 2015. “But René really gave me a gift. All my grieving, it was during this last year. I think I’ve got this. For now. When it hits me, it’s going to hit me. But my biggest job is to tell my husband, we’re fine. I’ll take care of our kids. You’ll watch us from another spot.”
Credit: Andre Pichette/EPA/Shutterstock
January 2016
Angélil died at age 73, just two days before his birthday. The family announced the news in a statement, saying that the producer died “at his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer.”
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February 2016
Celine broke down in tears while performing “All By Myself” at her first concert since her husband’s death. “Throughout my life, I only had eyes for my husband, who sat out here, night after night,” she told the crowd. “People thought that I was looking at him, actually, but I didn’t have to, I didn’t need to, because every time I closed my eyes, I felt René on stage with me.”
Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock
January 2021
The musician honored her late husband on the fifth anniversary of his death. “There’s not one day that we don’t think about you,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “We’re reaching out to you now more than ever, to guide us, protect us, and continue to watch over us. And we pray that you’ll shine your love on the entire world, to all those at this very moment, who are facing incredibly difficult times. You are in our hearts and in our lives forever.”
