The Incredible Life Story of Celine Dion

Most people have heard of Celine Dion, as she’s a highly accomplished musical artist and has wowed audiences on countless occasions. In fact, her voice is so amazing that many burst into tears, unable to hold back their emotions while she belts out her beautiful ballads.

Though Celine Dion has done many things and become a top performer, her life is far from perfect. She started from humble beginnings and was born into a large but poor family. Later, she faced countless obstacles on the way to stardom.

It’s interesting to see where she started from and where she’s gotten. She has also struggled with health issues and the relentless pressures of being in the spotlight. This is her amazing story.

Never Dull

While she made it as a successful woman in the music industry, Celine Dion’s life wasn’t always perfect. She can’t get away from the public, and her health problems and love affairs have been the talk of magazines for years. Still, she always put a smile on her face and toughed it out.

Her Husband’s Diagnosis

Celine had to face a huge crisis in 1999 when she learned Rene, her husband, had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Doctors claimed he would lose his basic motor skills, so Celine chose to take care of him. She put in much effort to ensure he lived life to the fullest.

Mom Didn’t Like Rene

During an interview, Celine mentioned that her mother strongly opposed her daughter having a relationship with Rene, claiming he wasn’t the best choice as a partner. It angered Celine, and she tried reasoning with her mom, but it went nowhere.

Problems Conceiving

After 13 successful albums from the 1990s, Celine announced she needed to take a break. This was primarily because she was having problems conceiving, even after being with Rene for six years. Finally, their son was born in January 2001 and named Rene-Charles Dion Angelil.

Almost Dies

At just 5 years old, Celine almost passed away because of a truck accident. In fact, she was unconscious for roughly a week and suffered a fractured skull. However, she luckily recovered fully!

Hated Her Top Song

“My Heart Will Go On” is probably one of Celine’s greatest hits, but she actually didn’t think it would do that well. She said she didn’t care for the song and worried she’d pushed her luck by doing it for the movie Titanic.

Traitor

Celine Dion received her first Grammy Award in 1991 for “Beauty and the Beast,” which led to her breaking into the international market. However, her fan base of French-Canadian people was angered, causing her to turn down the English Artist of the Year award.

Wasn’t Planned

Celine came from a large family and is the youngest of 14 children. Her parents hadn’t planned on having any more kids because of financial difficulties, but she came anyway. It’s crazy to think that as a baby, she slept in a drawer of a cabinet (outside of the cabinet, of course), and now she is one of the wealthiest entertainers of all time.

Husband’s Say

Rene started out as Celine’s manager. He insisted she do “My Heart Will Go On.” In fact, he asked her to do a demo and just give it a try, which ended up being the full recording, and she never sang it again!

Shark for Business

Therese Tanguay Dion is Celine’s mom, and she was famous as a cook. In fact, her daughter inherited those skills because her first venture as a restaurant owner was a full success. It was called Nickels and opened in 1990, which is now a chain of restaurants.

Suing for Lies

Celine had a tumultuous time in the 1990s. She’s successfully released her albums and dealt with her husband’s cancer diagnosis. On top of all of that, The National Enquirer put out fake news that she was having twins, so she sued them, and she ended up winning the case and was awarded $20 million.

Doctor Dion

Dion has received many accolades for her work, getting the National Order of Quebec. Likewise, she’s featured on the Hollywood and Canadian Walks of Fame. Laval University also awarded her with an honorary doctorate degree.

No Choice

Celine was actually named after “Celine,” a song performed by Hugues Aufray, a popular French musician. She started her music career all the way back when she performed that very song during her brother’s wedding, when she was just five years old.

Weird Discovery

Her brother and mother wrote a song written completely in French. In English, it’s translated to “It Was Only a Dream.” It went to Rene Angelil, a music manager, and the rest is history!

Mom Interferes

Celine’s mom sent the demo tape to the manager, attaching a note that claimed the 12-year-old had an amazing voice and he should listen to her. However, Rene didn’t do that initially. It took her brother to persuade him.

Not the Normal Audition

During the audition, Celine received a pretend microphone, and Rene told her to pretend she was in a sold-out concert to perform it. Overall, he was left awestruck at her performance of the piece.

Younger Than Her Stepson

Rene Angelil is actually much older than Dion. In fact, he was 26 years older than her. Plus, he’d had two prior marriages before dating Celine, and his first son, Patrick, is older than her!

Bursts into Tears

Celine auditioned for Rene, and she remembered that he started crying because of her singing. That was the moment she knew she’d performed well. He instantly signed her to his label and became her manager because he had a vision for her success.

Gambler

Rene had faith in her talent, so he mortgaged his house to make sure she had enough funding for the first album. That gamble paid off because her first record was a huge hit. It was soon topping the Canadian charts.

Emotional Announcement

Though Rene passed away, Celine says she can’t move on with a new lover. She’d met him at 12 years old, and they’d been married for 22 happy years. Though reporters ask, she always says it’s too soon for her to find someone else because he’s the love of her life.

Loved by the Pope

Pope John II was highly impressed with Celine’s singing voice. In 1984, she sang for the Pope and used the French anthem for Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. Reports show that the Pope loved her performance, and she enjoyed it, too.

Time to Grow

After her many musical hits, Rene told Celine to take a well-deserved break. While it was risky because she could have been forgotten, she spent 18 months growing and learning about herself. She says she matured into a woman during that time.

Going Global

The decision to take a break was a wise one. She returned and was even better than before. Plus, she had renewed confidence, so she sang well in English. “Incognito” was her comeback album, and she sold over 500,000 copies of it!

America’s Sweetheart

Celine released “Unison” in 1990, which was her first English album. This helped her expand her career into the Anglophone market. In fact, the album got gold-certified and included many hits. However, she’d soon face another challenge!

Almost Lost Her Voice

Those bright days were about to be replaced when she lost her voice. Celine had been diagnosed with laryngitis before she went on her next concert tour. Therefore, she had to quit singing so that her damaged vocal cords could heal.

The Big Secret

Rene and Celine kept their relationship a secret initially. While rumors circulated that they were romantic together, she only chose to tell others right before releasing “The Colour of My Love,” a beautiful album.

Fearing the Public

Rene and Celine had a 26-year age gap between them. They’d begun dating when she was 19 years old, and that large gap caused a controversy to pop up. Still, they dealt with the criticism, got married, and started a family.

Can Keep a Secret

It took the pair five years to go public about their relationship. Rene said in a 1994 interview that he had been concerned with what others thought. However, Celine wanted to tell the world and didn’t care about that.

Going Overboard

Rene and Celine were considered Canadian royalty. In fact, the wedding was live-streamed on television, and it took place at the Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal on December 17, 1994. Many of her fans attended after flying to Canada!

Royal Princess or Not

Celine had a stunning wedding gown, which had been created by Steve and Mirella Gentile. It took 1,000 hours to make it, and the outfit featured a 20-pound tiara and a 20-foot train. People talked about her dress for days afterward.

Investments and Expensive Homes

The couple chose to buy a mansion in Florida, and it cost them $72 million! It featured a water park, a golf course, and three separate swimming pools. They definitely lived the life of luxury.

Her Everything

Celine Dion was doing her “Let’s Talk About Love” tour when she got horrible news. She learned that her husband had cancer during the show. Therefore, she dedicated a song to her husband during the concert. He fought and lived to be 73 years old, dying in 2016.

Carefully Chosen Baby Names

On October 23, 2010, the couple welcomed twins into their home. These boys were named Eddy and Nelson. In fact, Nelson was named after Nelson Mandela, and Eddy after Eddy Marnary. Mr. Marnary produced her first five albums!

Changing the World

The Queen of Pop, as she’s often called, was famous for charity work. She raised about $1 million in 2004 for victims of a tsunami. One year later, she donated $1 million to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Her Secret Father

Celine didn’t speak much about Adhemar Dion, her dad. He passed in 2001, and she said that he was still her number one fan. She knew he would want her to be on stage, doing what she loved.

Preparing for Death

It was difficult for Celine to tell her young children about Rene’s death. However, she prepared them, saying no one knows what will happen in life, so they shouldn’t wait for tomorrow to do something today. Live for the moment because the future is now.

Too Young

Rene-Charles Dion Angelil is Celine’s firstborn son, and he presented the Billboard Icon Award to her in 2016. That was his first public appearance, and everyone took notice because of his good looks.

Made It to 90

Celine’s mother is named Therese, and she is still very alive and kicking. However, you might be surprised to learn she’s 90 years old! The mother-daughter duo is still very close, even now!

Never Missed a Beat

Everyone loves to interview Dion, which is a rarity in Hollywood. She talked with Ellen DeGeneres, receiving compliments on her jewelry. To that, Celine’s response was to sing “She Worked Hard for the Money” by Donna Summers.

Without a Brother

Though Celine has had a successful career, she’s not immune to tragedy. Both her brother and husband died of cancer, and it was only a few days apart. That must have caused so much sorrow.