Image: Getty
After a long battle with throat cancer, singer Celine Dion’s husband René Angélil passed way on Thursday January 14 at age 73.
The singer posted this statement on her Twitter account: “René Angélil passed away this morning at his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer. The family requests that their privacy be respected at the moment; more details will be provided at a later time.” – Celine Dion (@celinedion)
The Canadian singer and manager died at his home in Henderson, Nevada, under the care of a physician. John Fudenberg, a Clark County coroner, confirmed his death, “We have determined Mr Angélil’s death was due to natural causes. No further investigation into his death is expected.”
Dion met her late husband when she was 12 years old when he vbecame her mentor and manager. At that time, he had to mortgage his home to fund her first record, La Voix Du Bon Dieu. In 1987, their relationship became romantic and they were engaged in 1991. Their wedding ceremony took place in Montréal, Québec in 1994. Last month, the couple celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary, with the singer Instagramming a photo of the two holding hands on their wedding day.
Angélil’s was first diagnosed with cancer in 1999, but he was diagnosed again in 2013 and had to undergo surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his throat. After the surgery, Celine took a leave of absence to take care of him. In August 2014, she returned to the stage at Caesars Palace due to Angélil’s urging.
“He’s been there for me all my life, and I’ve been there for him all my life,” said Celine to ET online. “There’s a part of me that never really left the stage. I wanted to be there but I needed to be someplace else, which was much more important at that time. To be by his side. To be by my family.”
Angélil is survived by the couple’s three children – René-Charles, 14, and 5-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy. He also has three children from previous relationships – Patrick, Jean-Pierre, and Anne-Marie.
RIP René
