PONOPRESSE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesCeline Dion and Rene Angelil endured plenty of scrutiny because of their age difference and the Angelil’s professional role in her life, but their marriage was strong.
Celine Dion’s heart will have to go on without the love of her life, husband Rene Angelil.
The 73-year-old Angelil, who guided the French-Canadian singer to superstardom, “passed away this morning as his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer,” a rep told People Magazine in a statement.
Angelil, who was 26 years his wife’s senior, had originally been diagnosed with throat cancer in 1999 and staved off the disease twice before.
CELINE DION TALKS ABOUT HUSBAND’S BATTLE WITH THROAT CANCER
Denise Truscello/WireImageRene Angelil leaves behind three children with Celine Dion — René-Charles and twin 5-year-old boys Nelson and Eddy
Dion immediately cancelled the scheduled Saturday and Sunday shows of her Las Vegas residency at the Caesars Palace in the wake of the news — but planned to return for the Feb. 23 show, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
The “All By Myself” singer returned to her residency in August after taking a year off to take care of her husband as he underwent aggressive treatments.
She told USA Today at the time of her return that Angelil’s dying wish was to “die in my arms.”
Sources close to the singer told the gossip site TMZ that the death was unexpected, since the businessman felt better in recent weeks.
During their high-profile courtship, the couple endured plenty of scrutiny because of their age difference and the Angelil’s professional role in her life. But the romance proved to be as strong as the lyrics of a Dion ballad since their 1994 marriage.
He stepped down as her manager in June 2014.
Angelil leaves behind three children with Dion — René-Charles and twin 5-year-old boys Nelson and Eddy — and three other adult children from a previous relationship.
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