Global music icon Celine Dion has shared a moving tribute to her late husband, René Angélil, on what would have been his 84th birthday. The poignant post comes just days after she marked the sombre 10th anniversary of his death.
A Decade of Love and Memory
The 57-year-old singer, who was discovered and managed by Angélil, posted a heartfelt message to her nearly nine million Instagram followers on Friday. She accompanied her words with a smiling photograph of Angélil beside a strawberry cake adorned with candles.
'On your birthday, we celebrate you and our love for you grows every day... You are forever our greatest protector, and your memory continues to guide us...' Dion wrote. She signed the note from herself and their three sons: René-Charles, 24, and 15-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy.
Honouring a Lifelong Partnership
This public remembrance follows an equally emotional post from Wednesday, January 17, 2024, exactly ten years after Angélil lost his battle with throat cancer at age 73. Dion described the complex passage of time without him, writing: 'Mon amour, ten years without you feels like just a day, and yet each day feels like a decade...'
The couple's unique love story began when a 12-year-old Dion auditioned for the 38-year-old music producer in 1980. He immediately agreed to manage her career. Their professional relationship blossomed into romance in 1987, when Dion was 19, and they married seven years later on December 17, 1994.
Dion has consistently honoured her husband's memory on both his birthday and the anniversary of his passing. Last month, she marked what would have been their 31st wedding anniversary with a close-up photo of their hands and rings from their wedding day, captioning it: 'And it’s still a yes for me…'
A Legacy of Strength
In her memoir, Dion revealed she initially kept their relationship private, fearing public judgement over their age difference. She only felt comfortable announcing their engagement in 1993. Reflecting on their love, she wrote: 'When I was at the age to be able to say to people [we were together] ... It was like bang! Love! Love always wins.'
Through her annual tributes, Celine Dion continues to celebrate the life of the man who was not only her husband for 21 years but also the architect of her legendary career, proving that for her, his guiding presence remains undimmed by time.
