Music News

Celine Dion honors husband René Angélil on fifth anniversary of his death

Getty Celinedionrene 011521
Gabe Ginsberg/WireImage

Celine Dion honored her late husband, René Angélil, on Thursday, which marked the fifth anniversary of his passing.  The music producer lost his battle with throat cancer on January 14, 2016 — two days shy of his 74th birthday.

Dion, 52, penned a touching tribute in Angélil’s memory and shared a zoomed in photo of the two walking hand-in-hand by the ocean.

“René, it’s been 5 years already… There’s not one day that we don’t think about you,” the eight-time Grammy winner began. “We’re reaching out to you now more than ever, to guide us, protect us, and continue to watch over us.”

Continued Dion, “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.”

“We love you,” she signed off with and included the names of their three children, 19-year-old René-Charles and 10-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy.

Angélil discovered the powerhouse singer when she was 12-years-old, immediately signing her upon hearing her demo tape.  They began dating when she was 19 and married seven years later, in 1994. 

They remained married for 21 years until his death in January 2016.

When asked during a 2019 appearance on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live! whether or not she would ever marry again, Dion admitted she is “still in love” with her late husband but is open to the idea.

“I don’t date.  I don’t have a boyfriend, and you know, it doesn’t mean that I will not find someone in my life,” she said at the time. “If I do, that would be great. If I don’t, that would be great.”

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.