MONTREAL, (Reuters) – René Angélil, the husband of award-winning Canadian singer Celine Dion, died yesterday at the age of 73 after a long battle with cancer, Dion announced.
“It’s with profound sadness that we are announcing that René Angélil, 73, died this morning at his Las Vegas home after a courageous battle with cancer. The family wishes to mourn in private,” her website said. “Other information will be provided in the next few days.”
The Canadian entertainment manager, who discovered Dion, 47, when she was 12-years-old and drove her career to stardom, married her in 1994 at a lavish wedding in Montreal’s Notre Dame Basilica.
The couple have three sons, René-Charles, 14, and 5-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy.
Angélil’s illness, first diagnosed in 1999, prompted Dion to put her career on hold in 2014, suspending her Las Vegas residency. Dion said he supported her later return to the stage.