Celine Dion’s husband, Rene Angelil has died at 73

Angelil, a Montreal native who had a career as a Canadian pop singer in the 1960s before turning to managing, discovered Quebec songstress Celine Dion when she was 12 and went on to manage her thriving career and become her husband. … In August 2014, Dion, 47, announced that she was postponing her career indefinitely to care for her husband. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1999 (Dion put aside her career then as well) and had surgery in December 2013 that removed part of his tongue and limited his speech. I want to devote every ounce of my strength and energy to my husband’s healing, and to do so, it’s important for me to dedicate this time to him and to our children, Dion said then. However, she returned to her residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Aug. 27, 2015, with performances currently scheduled through June 2016.

Angelil was born in Montreal to a Canadian mother and Syrian father. He became the love of Dion’s life and the linchpin for her huge success, guiding her career for most of her life. Angelil was a former singer-turned-manager when he received an audio tape of Dion, then 12, from her mother. At that time I had been in the business for 20 years, Angelil recalled in a 1991 interview with The Associated Press. In those 20 years, I had never heard or had a feeling come out of someone like this little girl I had in front of me. I had shivers all over, you know. Dion has said he mortgaged his house to finance her first album. Initially, Dion sang only in her native French, and while she was a huge star in her native Quebec, it didn’t translate to widespread international success. She had to learn English to gain success in the United States and other countries.

By the late 1990s and 2000s, her soaring voice had become dominant on the radio. Angelil was first diagnosed with skin cancer while they were trying to conceive their first child. After he was born, and with Angelil on the mend, Dion retreated from touring and started the residency in Las Vegas so she could be more stable. Dion said Angelil had talked about dying and even discussed his funeral plans. I’ll say, ‘You’re scared? I understand. Talk to me about it.’ she told USA Today. And René says to me, ‘I want to die in your arms.’ OK, fine, I’ll be there, you’ll die in my arms.