“Mr. Angélil, 73, died of throat cancer at his home in Henderson while under the care of a physician”, a statement from Clark County coroner John Fudenberg read. The health crisis forced him to step down as Dion’s manager, and in September, 2015, his wife revealed that Angelil’s cancer was terminal. He turned it over to longtime friend Aldo Giampaolo, a noted impresario himself in Quebec, but remained involved in key decisions.
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A post on Dion’s official Facebook page also confirmed the death. For a star of her caliber to commit to an extended show contract like she did was unprecedented for modern Las Vegas.
“The first (hand)shake I had with him I thought we decided we were going to be partners in the venture of taking Celine to the top…” “He needs me to fly. It’s hard, but we’re ready”.
Rene was true to his words and most, if not all, people worldwide know Dion today.
“I’d never heard anything like it. For me, it was the most attractive voice in the world”, he would recall in interviews. Because you loved me? Sometimes, and I think I’m used to it, you don’t feel what you need to feel. I went backstage in Vegas with the family back in 2011. But at the same time, he needs me so much, and I really want to take care of him as well. “You’ll watch us from another spot”.
Following Rene’s death, the “My Heart Will Go On” singer cancelled two of her shows at the Caesars Palace, which is scheduled this weekend.
Angelil and Dion have twin boys, Eddy and Nelson, 5. “And René says to me, ‘I want to die in your arms.’ OK, fine, I’ll be there, you’ll die in my arms”. In August 2014, Dion, 47, announced that she was postponing her career “indefinitely” to care for her husband, whom she married in December 1994.
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Tributes also poured in from the entertainment industry.
