Canadian diva Celine Dion has taken the music industry by storm. Up to now, she is still one of the most respected divas in the world. And although Celine’s career had been a glamorous one up to this day, she has gone through some hardships when she was just starting out.
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It is no secret that Canadian diva Celine Dion had one of the most controversial relationships in the industry. What made it controversial was the fact that René was 26 years older than her! But as we all know, their relationship had withstood the test and up to René’s last breath, Celine had remained loyal and in love with him.
Humble beginnings
Celine actually came from a very humble beginning. Life was not easy when she was a kid. She was the youngest of 14 siblings but she recalled that despite the financial difficulties, she was given a lot of love, affection, and support.
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As a young child, Celine showed her talent for singing. Her mother believed in Celine’s talent and often made demo tapes and send it to as many names in the industries as she can. Eventually, they received a response from René Angélil, who invited Celine to audition for him in Quebec.
The audition that changed her life
René remembered Celine’s audition. She sang Ce n’etait qu’un rêve, an original song composed by herself, her mother, and her brother. Celine’s mother did all the talking while Celine never said a word.
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Celine then started singing into a pencil, pretending it was a microphone and when René heard her voice, he had tears in his eyes. He recalled that it was a special voice that he has never heard before.
Taking risks
René believed in the talent of Celine as well and knew that he could turn her into a superstar. In fact, when he could not raise funds for Celine’s first album, he mortgaged his own house and started his own record label so that he could produce the first album himself.
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It was a huge risk but it was worth it. He began working on Celine’s first album, La voix du bon Dieu, which was released on LP and cassette. Celine started turning heads and soon enough, René was taking Celine and her mother on tour around Canada, Europe, and Japan.
Singing for the Pope
When Pople John Paul II visited Quebec in 1984, Celine was able to perform for him. She was just 16 years old then. Celine sang Une Colombe in honor of Pople John Paul II in front of 60,000 people inside Montreal’s Olympic stadium.
Source: Celine Dion Web
The song she sang instantly became a hit and won two Félix Awards for bestselling single and pop song of the year. Celine had always considered singing in front of the pope was the pinnacle for her as a singer – even if she performed for so many more famous figures later on.
Celine’s transformation
Celine turned 18 in 1986. She and René agreed that it was time to move on from her teen star image. They kept Celine in hiding for 18 months as they worked on her new image as an adult contemporary artist.
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By the time Celine was back in the limelight, she had work done on her teeth, her hair was permed, and she also wore glitzier clothes. It was a huge improvement. Her looks were not the only thing that changed.
Improving as an artist
In the 18 months that she was in hiding, Celine also took the time to take dance lessons and voice classes to improve her performances. Celine also became fully bilingual. Before she only sang in French but now she can also in English.
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It was clear that René and their team had been busy turning Celine into the total performer. She was clearly ready to perform on an international scale now and there were more opportunities opening up to take her to ultimate stardom.
Developing feelings
When Celine met René, she was just 12 years old and had no idea that she would fall in love with him later. According to Celine, her feelings for René started to change when she was about 17 or 18 years old. She fell in love with the way René had treated her and everyone around her – especially her family.
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René and Celine actually had their first official date in 1987. By the time Celine was 20 years old, they officially were in a relationship. Their relationship started the night Celine won the Eurovision song contest on April 30, 1988.
The secret affair
But given their huge age gap, Celine and René knew that some people might not like this development in their relationship. There certainly would be a lot of difficulties along the way. So, they decided to keep their relationship a secret for over five years out of fear of how people would react.
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Celine had a tough time being in a secret relationship. “When you’re in love, you want to scream it to the world.” Celine shared when recalling the first years of their relationship together. She was afraid of how this would affect her career and how her family would react.
The big reveal
When they finally revealed the truth to Celine’s family, Celine’s mother instantly felt apprehensive about it. René was not actually Prince Charming material. He had already gone through two failed marriages before Celine.
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Rene already had three children from his previous marriages. In fact, René’s eldest son, Patrick, was actually older than Celine. Celine’s mother did not think that the relationship would work.
Going public
But despite her mother’s disapproval, Celine felt free and decided to reveal the relationship to the public when she launched her album, The Colour of My Love. Celine opened her heart out to the public and shared how she fell in love with her manager.
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The response of her fans surprised Celine. They actually supported the relationship. And with the loyalty of her fans to back them up, Celine and René became more comfortable in showing their relationship in public.
A blossoming life
And as it turned out, Celine and René were able to prove Celine’s mother wrong. They were so in love and devoted to each other that their relationship blossomed into something better as the years passed by.
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Celine had been inspired to work harder and it showed in her work as she was able to record more songs. The two were inseparable. Her fans were so pleased with everything that has been happening to their favorite diva.
Taking it to the next level
It did not take long for the couple to want to take their relationship to the next level. They were ready to get married and spend the rest of their lives together. And they finally tied the knot on December 17, 1994. Celine’s wedding was broadcast on Canadian national TV so all her fans can be a part of it too.
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Celine transformed into a princess on their big day. Her wedding gown was designed by another couple Mirella and Steve Gentile. The wedding gown came with a 20-foot-long train and an eye-catching 20-pound tiara to hold her veil. The wedding was no doubt a grand one.
A blooming career
After the wedding, Celine’s career continued to soar. It was a great time for the newly married couple who were also professional partners at the same time. Celine was everywhere and they traveled the world together.
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Just a few months after their marriage, Celine received won the World Music Award in Monte Carlo. And she actually had more opportunities going her way. Everybody could not get enough of the Canadian diva!
Her unexpected hit
As we all know, Celine went on to record numerous hits that made fans from all over the world fall in love with her. One of the songs that launched her into an international diva was when she performed the soundtrack for the blockbuster movie, Titanic, in 1997.
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The song “My Heart Will Go On” was a number one hit all over the world for months. But despite this, Celine had confessed that she did not really like the song at first. It was a good thing that she pushed on with it. Could you imagine another singer belting out that song?
An intelligent woman
Given that Celine started her career at a young age, she never got to finish high school. But later, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Laval University. Celine dedicated this award to René, who had been a great influence on her.
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Despite not finishing high school, Celine is actually very smart. Now that she was an international diva with fans from all over the world, Celine wanted to be more relatable to her fans. So, she decided to record and perform in a variety of languages. She sings in Spanish, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, German, and Latin.
A shocking diagnosis
But in 1998, the couple was shaken when René was diagnosed with throat cancer. Celine was at the peak of her career then but being the devoted wife and partner that she is, she chose to take a hiatus from her career to focus on her husband.
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Fortunately, the treatments worked. By 2000, René was declared to be cancer-free. The couple celebrated this by renewing their wedding vows in Las Vegas. They decided to do it in a Melkite Byzantine ceremony.
Infertility issues
Celine and René had struggled with infertility in their marriage. It took a couple of years before Celine was able to conceive their first son, René-Charles, in 2001. It took another six rounds of IVF for her to give birth to her twin sons, Eddy and Nelson. It took nine years for the twins to come into their life.
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Family life had changed the beloved diva. Celine made sure her family would be prioritized over her music career. The fame meant less to her now as she spent more time with her husband and kids. She loved being a mother and she considered her kids as her greatest reward.
Bad news
But another challenge came in 2013 for Celine. She was devastated when they found out that René’s cancer had returned. René had to undergo another surgery to have the tumor removed. Once again, Celine put her career on hold to take care of her husband.
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René was not getting any stronger. It came to a point where he had to be on a feeding tube for two years. It pained Celine to see the man who took care of her since she was a teenager looking so weak but she had to be strong for the kids.
Preparing for the worst
Celine knew her family needed her the most when René was getting weaker. She had put everything on hold and made sure that she would be there for her family all the time. There was no doubt that family was her priority.
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Celine even prepared her kids for their father’s death. “I’m proud of the way I prepared my boys for their dad’s death. In life, you never know what’s going to happen, so you should never wait for tomorrow to do what can be done today, to say I love you, or send a thank-you note… The future is now.”
A sad ending to a beautiful love story
Celine Dion lost the love of her life, René, to a heart attack back in 2016, just two days before what would have been his 74th birthday. During his final days, Celine made sure that she was by René’s side and took care of him personally.
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They had been married for 21 years. When asked if she was open to dating again years after the passing, Celine responded that she does not date. She was pretty much still in love with her husband and that her life was filled with love as is.