CELINE Dion became an international sensation following the release of Disney's Beauty and the Beast in 1991.
Since then, she has become Canada's best-selling recording artist and now fans want to know more about her former husband, René Angélil.
Who was Celine Dion's husband, René Angélil?
In 1994, Celine Dion married René Angélil.
Like his wife, René also had a career in the entertainment industry as a musical producer, talent manager, and singer.
He was born on January 16, 1942, in Montreal, Canada, and later died on January 14, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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The pair first met in 1980, when Celine was only 12 years old. At the time, he invited her to audition after he was sent a tape of her singing.
After that, he began to manage her career and even mortgaged his house to finance her first album in 1981.
When Celine was 18, they then began a personal relationship, despite a 26-year age gap, and tied the knot eight years later.
Before his marriage to Celine, he was married to Denyse Duquette from 1966-1972 and to singer Anne Renée from 1974-1980.
What was René Angélil's cause of death?
René passed away two days before his 74th birthday following a battle with throat cancer.
“René Angélil, 73, passed away this morning at his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer,” his rep said in a statement to People.
“The family requests that their privacy be respected at the moment.”
He was first diagnosed with the disease in 1999 and battled three bouts before his passing, PEOPLE notes.
“I think I will probably grieve for the rest of my life,” Celine told The Sun two years after his death.
“René has prepared me for all my life since I’m 12.
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"I have never met another man in my life, never kissed another man in my life.
“I miss him a lot. I miss him a lot — for my partner, for the man I was embracing, kissing, making love with. My worries, my dreams. ”
In December 2022, Celine revealed to fans that she is now battling her own health issues after being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder known as stiff-person syndrome, which affects “something like one in a million people,” according to the star.
“While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all of the spasms that I’ve been having,” she said in an emotional Instagram video.
“Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to.”
Stiff-person syndrome is “a rare, progressive syndrome that affects the nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord,” according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Symptoms include extreme muscle stiffness, rigidity, and painful spasms that could lead to fractured bones.
At this time, there is no cure, but symptoms are often treated with "high doses of diazepam and several anti-convulsants, gabapentin and tiagabine," according to the institute.
In an interview teaser with The Today Show's Hoda Kotb, Celine spoke on the decision to share her diagnosis with the public.
In the clip released on June 10, 2024, she said, "I could not do this anymore. What did you want me to say? ‘I have…' what? We did not know what was going on."
The music icon also said that her husband's battle with cancer affected her own health battle.
The full interview will air on June 11, 2024, at 10 pm ET.
Celine's upcoming documentary, I Am: Celine Dion, will be available to stream on Prime Video on June 25, 2024.
Before his passing, René welcomed three sons, Rene-Charles, Nelson, and Eddy, with Celine.
He also welcomed another son, Patrick, during his first marriage and two kids, Anne-Marie and Jean-Pierre Angélil, during his second marriage, making him a father of six.
