Dressed entirely in black and wearing a veil, Dion entered the church, holding the hands of her five-year-old twins, Nelson and Eddy.
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Canadian political leaders and entertainers joined award-winning singer Celine Dion on Friday in honouring the life of her husband, Rene Angelil, the man who plucked her out of childhood obscurity and propelled her to worldwide fame.
Dion did not speak publicly at the funeral, but her son Rene-Charles delivered a touching eulogy. As expected, the Canadian singer looked beyond heartbroken as she stood by her husband’s casket and greeted nearly every single mourner that came to pay their respects. “He knew her better than anybody and he probably knows that’s what she needs too, to perform”, said a source. Angelil passed away on January 14 from throat cancer after a long battle with several cancers.
In 1980 Dion’s mother sent him an audio tape of her then 12-year-old daughter.
According to reports, Angelil planned his entire funeral before he died.
Angelil, who was also Dion’s manager for more than 30 years, has requested that his funeral be held at Notre-Dame Basilica in Motreal, which is the same place he Wednesday Dion in 1994, as HNGN previously reported. As the family left the church, after pausing for photos, Dion ran her finger along the top of the casket and leaned down to kiss it.
They will stream the funeral online beginning at 3 PM Friday, and it will be presided over by Christian Lépine, the archbishop of Montreal.
“Maybe I wouldn’t have had the same life had it not been for Rene because I travelled around the world to see Celine, ” said Gendron, who comes from Saint-Hubert.
Dignitaries such as Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, Quebec Premier Phillippe Couillard, former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Tom Mulcair were just some of the political figures in attendance.
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Patrick Angelil, one of the deceased’s three adult children from two previous marriages, told the service his father was a loving man.
