At a Glance
- Céline Dion posted an emotional tribute to late husband René Angélil on the 10th anniversary of his death
- The couple’s three sons added their own message to their father’s memory
- Angélil died at age 73 in 2016 after a years-long cancer battle
- Why it matters: The post offers a rare glimpse into how the family continues to grieve and honor his legacy
Céline Dion marked a decade without her husband René Angélil by sharing a deeply personal message that captured both the permanence of loss and the persistence of love.
The singer posted the tribute on January 14, accompanied by a photograph of Angélil’s portrait resting against a black piano. Angélil, who began managing Dion when she was 12 and married her in 1994, died at age 73 in 2016 following his fight with cancer.
A Family’s Shared Grief
Dion’s message reflected the strange elasticity of grief: “Mon amour, ten years without you feels like just a day, and yet each day feels like a decade.”
She continued, “Ten years without your caress, and yet every day I feel your touch.”
The post included words from their three sons:
- René-Charles Angélil, 24
- Twins Nelson Angélil and Eddy Angélil, 15
“We miss you more than we can bear,” their message read, “but you taught us to be strong.”
They ended with, “We love you more, every day and every year.”
Previous Reflections on Loss
Dion has spoken publicly about Angélil’s passing before. In a 2016 interview with People, she described the complexity of watching her husband’s health decline.
“I’m 48 years old and I lost the love of my life,” she said then. “I miss him a lot from when he was great but not when he was suffering. I cannot be selfish. You have to let people go. I feel at peace.”
His illness had affected her professional life years earlier:
- 2014: Dion canceled her Las Vegas residency to care for him
- 2016: She canceled another round of Caesars Palace shows after his death
“You see your husband suffer for three years, and it’s not what you want to see,” she told People. “So now I know he is well, and we live with him in a different way. And I see him through the eyes of my children every single day.”
A Legacy in Music and Family
Beyond managing Dion’s career, Angélil remained a constant presence in her life both personally and professionally. Their partnership spanned more than three decades, beginning when Dion was a child performer and continuing through her rise to global stardom.
The couple’s three sons have grown up in the spotlight their mother’s fame brings, though they largely stay out of public view. Their participation in the anniversary tribute suggests they continue to process their father’s absence as a family unit.
Dion’s connection to performance remains strong despite personal losses. She made a surprise appearance during the Eurovision Song Contest semi-final, a competition she won for Switzerland in 1988, showing her enduring ties to the music world that Angélil helped her conquer.
Key Takeaways
- The 10-year anniversary post demonstrates how public figures navigate private grief
- Dion’s willingness to share her pain offers connection to others experiencing loss
- The inclusion of their sons’ message highlights how grief affects entire families
- Her continued performances suggest a commitment to honoring Angélil’s memory through the career they built together
