Celine Dion is unsure of whether she will ever have a special someone in her life again. But she feels no dearth of love in her life even after five years have passed since losing her husband, René Angélil, to throat cancer. Together for 21 years of marriage, Dion and Angélil became parents to their three children before he passed away at the age of 73 in January, 2016.
“Losing my husband, for my kids to lose their father, it was quite something,” she told TODAY. “I feel like René has given me so much through the years and still today. I see my kids. I look at them—we live with him. We still live with him. He’s part of our lives every day, so I have to say that I feel very, very strong.”
The very first time Dion met Angélil was when she was only 12 years old. Angélil went on to become her manager and mentor, and years later, when Dion was 19 and Angélil was 45, their romantic relationship began, according to ET. Since then, they have had a long-lasting relationship and tied the knot in December 1994. They began raising a family after welcoming their son, René-Charles, now 20 years old, as well as their twins, Nelson and Eddy, aged 10.
Five years after she lost the love of her life, Dion still remains unsure of whether she will ever find love again. When asked about dating, Dion told TODAY, “I don’t know. I have no idea. But right this second, love is so big right now in my life, with my kids, with life itself. I’m not thinking about a relationship and falling in love again. I don’t. Do I have to say that it will never happen anymore? I don’t know. I don’t know.”
On the fifth anniversary of her husband’s death, the award-winning singer took to Instagram and paid tribute to her longtime love.
“René, it’s been 5 years already… There’s not one day that we don’t think about you,” Dion wrote in her heartfelt message. “We’re reaching out to you now more than ever, to guide us, protect us, and continue to watch over us. And we pray that you’ll shine your love on the entire world, to all those at this very moment, who are facing incredibly difficult times. You are in our hearts and in our lives forever. We love you, Celine, René-Charles, Nelson, and Eddy xx…”
As the entire world shut down during the pandemic, Dion also retreated to the comforts of her home and made the most of her time with her kids. “The whole world shut off and it was definitely different, but for us we were very fortunate,” Dion shared with TODAY. “It was the old-fashioned family fun, simple pleasures of life, playing outside a lot, being with them, cuddling at night. Honestly, making the best out of this.”
Cover image source: Getty Images | Photos by (L) Keith D. Bedford and (R) Pierre Roussel
