Celine Dion Mourns Late Husband René Angélil With Touching Trbute

Celine Dion posted a heartfelt tribute to her longtime husband, and father of her three children. In an Instagram post featuring a black and white headshot of her departed beloved, the “My Heart Will Go On” singer reflected on their time and legacy together, writing, “Today is your birthday, but the date doesn’t matter because there isn’t a day that we aren’t celebrating life with you. You are a part of us every day in the memories we cherish. While going through all the years of pictures and videos that consistently keep you alive, we hear your voice, we see your gestures and we adore your spirit. We celebrate you always. Happy Birthday René, Notre Amour.”

The couple were married for 22 years until his death in 2016. He died from cancer. The pair first met when the Canadian-born singer was just 12. He took on a role as her manager early on. Per Dion, their relationship turned romantic when she was 19. In 1993, the couple revealed that they were engaged and wed in 1994.

Her beloved husband and mentor was diagnosed with cancer three separate times. Each time, Dion took a hiatus from work to care for him.

In 2021, six years after his death, she shared that she still feels her husband’s presence. “I feel like René has given me so much through the years and still today,” she said, per PEOPLE. “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.”

As for why they initially kept their romance a secret, Dion would reveal it was due to their 26 year age difference: ​​”We kind of kept it cool because of my career. I was living that love secretly,” Dion told PEOPLE in 2016. “When I was at the age to be able to say to people … It was like bang! Love! Love always wins.”

In her memoir, Céline Dion: My Story, My Dream, she wrote of their first night together in 1988 “I threw myself into his arms,” she wrote. “Later that night, I was seated at the head of the bed, legs folded under the covers. I was happy about being alone with the man I loved.”