Celine Dion Says Late Husband Gives Her The ‘Courage’ To Perform
Celine Dion revealed that the strength she feels from her late husband Rene Angelil gives her the “courage” she needs to perform and continue the legacy the two began when the music producer discovered Dion at the age of 12-years-old, having believed in her talent so much he mortgaged his own home to finance her debut album.
Dion shared with Entertainment Tonight that it was one of Angelil’s greatest wishes during his illness to know his wife was back on stage and performing.
“If you look at the definition of courage, it’s a big, big word. It’s an important word and everything that I went through the last three years for example, even before any past, I was not even sure if I was going to go and sing again,” she said in an interview with the outlet. “But [Angelil] would want me to sing again, so I went back and forth and it was hard.”
The multiple Grammy-winner then revealed her late husband, even as he lay ill, knew the only place for his wife was on stage.
“I wanted to be by his bedside, and he really wanted me to go back on stage. He wanted to see me perform again and I did. It was hard but I did and he could let go after, peacefully,” said the mother of the couple’s three children: Rene Charles, Nelson, and Eddy.
Angelil died of a heart attack at the age of 73 in January 2016 after suffering a long battle with throat cancer.
Dion recently announced that she would tour once again. USA Today reported that the tour will be called “Courage.” The new tour will begin in the fall after the singer takes the summer to prepare for the massive outing, which will begin on Sept. 18 in Quebec City, Canada, and will make stops in over 50 North American cities.
There was a time when Celine Dion didn't know if she could ever sing again.https://t.co/fqGQ2h2uT2
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) April 4, 2019
She has opted not to take her children on tour, reported the outlet. Rather, the children will remain in school at the family’s home in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dion has called Nevada her home since 2002 when she and Angelil made the area their permanent home base after Dion began a residency at Ceasars Palace.
The first of her residencies began in 2003 and lasted until 2007. The second began in 2011 and will end in June 2019, reported VOA News. She has performed well over 1,000 shows at Ceasars Palace since initially beginning her residency, a groundbreaking number for a current-day artist.
Since Dion blazed the trail, many other contemporary artists have successfully had residencies in Las Vegas, including Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, and Cher. Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson Def Leppard, Pitbull, Bruno Mars, Christina Aguilera, Cardi B, and Lady Gaga are some of the major acts that will bring their star power to the Las Vegas Strip in 2019, reported Lavish Vegas.
