Celine Dion took the stage in Vegas on Tuesday night for her first performance since the death of her beloved husband, Rene Angelil. The iconic singer opened the show with a video montage honoring Rene and went on to speak to the audience about her loss, saying that now, he’s even more present at all times.
“People thought that I was looking at him actually, but I didn’t need to because every time I closed my eyes I felt Rene on stage with me. Whether he was seated in his seat right there, in the balcony, backstage, or at home with the kids, he’s always been on stage with me and nothing will ever change that. Rene always surrounded me with the very best people possible. I trusted him so much that I never really had the chance to worry about anything. Now, I guess it is only a natural impulse to constantly question myself. Would he let the kids play with these toys and, ‘Is this song too fast, is this song too slow? Don’t talk too much.’ It is pretty amazing that since he’s… physically no longer with me, he is even more present,” Dion said.
Celine Dion and Rene Angelil were a somewhat controversial couple here in the states when they first announced their relationship; when they married, she was just 26 and he was 52. He was also her manager, which added another level of complication. However, her legion of fans were loyal and supportive of the relationship, and in 1994, their wedding was broadcast live on Canadian television.
Celine Dion said during her show that Rene was always supportive of her career and never told her what she wanted to hear; rather, he made sure to find a tactful way to let her know the truth about her performances, so she always knew where she stood.
“René was my very best critic. He never told me what I wanted to hear, he told me what I needed to hear. You know night after night on our way back home from the show when he was so silent, I could sense that he was trying to know how to approach me without hurting my artistic feeling, but there were things that he had to tell me for my own growth…never talking bluntly, and always impressing himself in a soft and gentle way. We were one. And nothing has changed we will always be one,” Celine Dion said.