It’s been over eight years since celebrated Canadian talent agent and music producer René Angélil’s passing aged 73, but his legacy lives on through not only his work, but also his family.
From 1994 to his 2016 death, he was married to legendary Canadian songstress Celine Dion, and they welcomed oldest son René-Charles, now 24, and twins Eddy and Nelson, now 14, together.
Celine, 57, has frequently shared tender tributes to her late husband, and once again did so on Father’s Day, looking back on not only his lasting impact on their three boys, but also paying tribute to her own late father, Adhémar Dion, who passed away in 2003.
“Today, I’m thinking about all the dads who are raising their children with love, patience, and quiet strength, always being as present as possible,” she penned. “Thank you for everything you do.”
The “Falling Into You” singer included a heartwarming throwback of herself and René with their three boys as children, all wearing matching pajamas (Celine and the kids wore green, René wore blue).
“To my beloved René…,” she wrote. “You may no longer be by our side, but your love lives within us. You taught our boys to be kind, to believe in who they are, and to take care of one another. That’s the greatest gift of all.”
© InstagramCeline also added a photograph of herself and her father in an emotional embrace. “And to my own father, thank you for your love and steady presence throughout my life. You gave me a standing ovation with every song, you were always my #1 fan. You are with me, always.”
Despite his death nearly a decade ago, Celine shared during a recent conversation with People that she feels like René is “still with us” all the time.
“I’m still married to René,” she shared. “He’s still my husband. When we have to travel to my treatments to see my doctors, I always bring pictures [of him],” referencing her ongoing battle with stiff person syndrome. “And we have pictures, of course, all over the place in the house.”
© InstagramThe boys also keep their dad close to their hearts. “Even when they were very small, even when he was still with us in his bed [when he was] in his room struggling, he was with us still. [They would tell him], ‘Dad, we’re going to be watching Ratatouille tonight, so I hope you like it.’ They were talking to him, and they kiss the pictures.”
In fact, every time they travel, she makes sure she always has her late husband’s photos with her, and even if she didn’t intend to bring them, her kids certainly reminded her of it.
© Getty Images for AEG“My kids are always asking, ‘Did you bring Papa’s pictures?’ And I’m like, ‘Yes, I have Papa’s pictures!'” she says. “He’s their dad, and he’s my husband, and he will always be.”
René was instrumental in helping Celine achieve stardom as a young singer in French, with the two first meeting in 1980, when she was 12 and he was 38. While Celine fell in love with him in her late teens, their romance didn’t take shape until her win at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1988, when she was 20. Their relationship wasn’t made public until 1993, and they tied the knot a year later.
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