Celine Dion mourns husband as brother faces terminal diagnosis

by

Sara McGinnis

posted in Celebrities

René Angélil, husband of Celine Dion and father of their three sons, passed away on Thursday, January 14, 2016 after a long battle with throat cancer. It was the eve of his 74th birthday.

A message posted to the singers over 22 million Facebook fans reflects on both René's professional accomplishments as well as the family he leaves behind:

As her manager, René Angélil made Céline Dion a star of international stature. René and Céline’s actions made a strong and permanent statement shedding light on Québec’s many talents and carrying it all over the world.

For this reason and for many others that bind him to the core values of this country, he has touched people’s hearts. They realize that they have lost a conqueror and a man of great substance and influence. He is now a part of the collective memory of the music industry, be it in Canada or elsewhere in the world.

Son of deceased Alice and Joseph Angélil, he is leaving in grief his beloved wife Céline Dion and their three children, René-Charles, Nelson and Eddy; his first born Patrick (Sophie Danis) son of Denyse Duquette; Anne-Marie (Marc Dupré) and Jean-Pierre (Thi Hong Hoa) children of Anne Renée; his grand-children Alicia and Justin (Patrick), Anthony, Stella and Lenny (Anne-Marie), Rémi (Jean-Pierre); his brother, André Angélil; his cousins, Paul, Robert and Ginette Sara, and his many close friends, relatives, business partners and colleagues.

(René Angélil, Celine Dion and their sons in 2011.)

René Angélil's 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."

As painful as her husband's passing must be for Celine, word came Friday she's in danger of losing another family member to cancer as well.

Multiple sources are reporting the singer's brother, Daniel Dion, has been given a terminal diagnosis for cancer affecting his throat, tongue and brain. "It's very painful," Celine's sister, Claudette Dion, told Le Journal de Montréal. "It's a matter of days or hours."

It's hard to imagine how this mom of three, whose twins are only 5-years-old, is coping through all of this, and our hearts go out to all of the Dion family and their loved ones at this time.

Photos: PR Photos

 

More stars who've faced cancer battles: