The Canadian singer’s husband passed away on Thursday (January 14th), following a lengthy battle with cancer, at the age of 73. Authorities say Angelil, the husband and manager of Dion, has died in Las Vegas.
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“It is with deep sadness that we announce that Rene Angelil, aged 73, died this morning at her residence in Las Vegas after a long and courageous fight against cancer”.
Dion has asked for privacy at this time and has promised to provide details surrounding her husband’s death in the future. Angelil also has two adult children from a previous marriage.
Quebec singer Ginette Reno wrote on her Facebook page: “It was an honour to work with such a great person whose art achieved what I call ‘the sacred fire.’ Long live the king, long live Rene”. She also mentioned that she will not be resuming work until February 23.
As a result, two upcoming dates for Dion’s residency at Caesar’s Palace Hotel and Casino this weekend have been cancelled, with those purchasing tickets offered a full refund.
The pair first met when Dion was only 12 and he was 38 after her brother sent Angelil a recording of Dion singing. She said in August she chose to go back to performing because “my biggest job is to tell my husband, we’re fine”.
When announcing she was putting her career on hold, Dion said in a statement it had been “very hard and stressful” for the couple as they dealt with the day-to-day challenges of fighting Angelil’s disease while trying to juggle a busy show business schedule and raising three young children. My heart started to beat faster but my body shut off. It took a toll on me.
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Although Angelil stepped down from managing his wife in 2014, he remained her greatest supporter, and his last wish was for her to be with him when he died. Dion told USA Today, “I’ll say, ‘You’re scared?”
