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Céline Dion Holds Open Casket Memorial For Husband René Angélil, Photographed Grieving With Oldest Son

By Niki Cruz
Published on: 05:59 PST, Jan 22, 2016

It’s been a rough few days for Céline Dion. Just two days after saying goodbye to her husband, René Angélil, after his long battle with cancer, Dion also had to say goodbye to her brother, Daniel.

Now, photographs of the powerful singer have surfaced as she mourns her husband, who she has known since she was 12-years-old. It’s a loss that’s unimaginable, given how long they knew each other for and how tangled their lives were from the very beginning. Until René Angélil became terminally sick, he was her manager from the start of her career as a pre-teen.

In an image obtained by People, Céline was photographed clinging to her oldest son René-Charles Angelil at the memorial as she left Notre Dame Basilica. The place is historical and also calls back to a happier time, since this is the same place where the pair wed in 1994 in Old Montreal.

According to various reports, René planned his own funeral so Dion wouldn’t have to deal with it. Instead, she could grieve with her sons René Charles, Eddy and Nelson.

The government played a very significant role in the organization of the funeral, which was offered by Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard. He said that the government picked up the tab for the funeral as a way to “honour a man who marked the cultural landscape of our nation.”

As thousands attended the service, Dion who was obviously in mourning, offered kind words about her husband of 22-years, specifically in regard to her career. “I understood that my career was in a way his masterpiece, his song, his symphony. The idea of leaving it unfinished would have hurt him terribly. I realized that if he ever left us, I would have to continue without him, for him.”

Later, the “My Heart Will Go On” singer described to People how she’s survived this heartbreaking time. “The support we’ve received has been such a blessing.”

Judith Picard told People what Dion means to Québec and how significant the singer is to her country.

“Céline is Québec. She is an ambassador for Québec. And this was her great love, and we had to be there for her. They’re inseparable. They’re like one person, and now she lost half of herself. So I feel for her. And he was such a great man, and he was such a great soul. We had to celebrate his life coming here today.”

Dion is also in the midst of mourning her brother, Daniel. Her brother Daniel died from brain, tongue and throat cancer just two days after Angelil. Entertainment Tonight reported that Daniel’s memorial service will take place on January 23 at Salon Charles Rajotte in Repentigny.

Throughout everything, Céline seems as present as ever, even in the wake of her mourning. One person told People about her focus while saying goodbye to her husband. “I did tell Céline, ‘thank you for being here’ because she’s receiving everyone, one person at a time, and she’s taking more of her time. That’s why we kind of froze for hours before getting inside: It was worth it because it wasn’t like in-and-out, in-and-out – she actually took the time; she shook our hand, and some actually even kissed her.”

[Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]

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