Celine Dion is mourning the passing of her husband. Rene Angelil died Thursday morning of cancer, at the age of 73.
Celine Dion's husband Rene Angelil dies following cancer battle https://t.co/hzxDd039If pic.twitter.com/yOrm26XbHR
— HuffPost Canada (@HuffPostCanada) January 14, 2016
A rep for Angelil confirmed his death in a statement to People magazine.
“Rene Angelil, 73, passed away this morning at his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer,” the statement reads. “The family requests that their privacy be respected at the moment.”
Rene Angelil served not only as husband to Celine Dion, but as her manager and mentor, too. This was Angelil’s third battle with cancer, and his family knew the end was near.
“We have asked [doctors] many times, how long does he have, three weeks, three months? René wants to know,” Celine Dion said in an interview with USA Today in August. “But they say they don’t know.”
Angelil’s last wish was to die in Celine Dion’s arms.
"René Angélil, 73, passed away this morning at his home in Las Vegas" https://t.co/k507Hm6EKS pic.twitter.com/C0QciQCmjp
— People Magazine (@people) January 14, 2016
Rene Angelil leaves behind three children with Celine Dion–Rene-Charles, 14, and five-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy. He has three adult children from a previous relationship as well– Anne-Marie, Patrick, and Jean-Pierre.
Celine Dion has long expected this day to come, but is no doubt grieving the loss of her soulmate. She vowed weeks ago to stay brave until the end.
“You can have your shaking knees at the end, but when someone you love falls and needs help, it’s not time to cry,” she said. “Afterwards, sure. But not yet.”
Now it’s Celine Dion’s time to cry.
