Rene’ Ange’lil, long time husband and love of Canadian born, award-winning singer Celine Dion, died on Thursday, January 14, 2015 at the age of 73.
The pop star’s long-time manager and mentor helped to propel Celine into superstardom throughout her career. He has been suffering from a battle with throat cancer for years, before succumbing to the disease on Thursday.
The announcement was made via Celine Dion’s website and social media where a statement announced his death and that he died in Las Vegas at their home “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” stated the singer.
The road for the couple was a long-lived love story of intense depth and romance. Dion met Ange’lil at the age of 12. He later became her manager and in 1994, the pair wed. The couple have three children together: René-Charles, 14, and 5-year-old twins, Nelson and Eddy. Rene’ Angélil also has three adult children from his two previous marriages: Patrick, Jean Pierre and Anne Marie. Celine affectionately referred to Rene’ as “the only boyfriend I ever had”.
In an emotionally charged interview, Celine stated that Rene’ said to her that he wanted to die in her arms. Apparently, Rene’ had been on a feeding tube for the last two years.
The pop star canceled her shows at The Colosseum in Las Vegas coming up this weekend, but plans to be back for February shows.
Angélil’s funeral will be held on Friday, Jan. 22, in Montreal. A clip of his obituary reads:
“According to his final wishes, his funeral will be held at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, where 21 years ago, he chose to marry the one who will remain as the great love of his life, the artist for which he had the most respect, the woman who gave him light and happiness until his very last breath.”
