Celine Dion Grievances: After Losing Rene Angelil, Singer's Older Brother Dies of Cancer
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It hasn't been such a great New Year for Grammy Award-winning Canadian singer Celine Dion, whose older brother Daniel has passed away, CNN reports. Daniel is the eighth of 14 children of Thérèse Tanguay-Dion and Adhémar Dion, and a father of two daughters and grandfather to two children. Daniel was in the care of Maison Adhémar-Dion, a palliative care center in Terrebonne, Quebec before he lost his battle with cancer. He was 59.
"Taking in consideration the reserved character of their deceased brother, the family wishes respect and discretion from the media," the Dion family said.
Daniel's death comes two days after Dion's husband, René Angélil lost his battle with cancer. ABC News reports that the 73-year-old had been battling cancer for almost 15 years. He is survived by their two children, 14-year old Rene-Charles and five-year-old twins, Nelson and Eddy.
"It is with deep sadness that we announce that René Angélil, aged 73, died this morning at her residence in Las Vegas after a long and courageous fight against cancer," Dion announced via her official Facebook page on Jan. 15.
Angélil served as Dion's manager for over 30 years, and the two married in December 1994 at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, Quebec. In 2000, the pair renewed their vows in Las Vegas. The couple had trouble conceiving following the birth of their first child, and Mirror reports that Dion had undergone six IVFs before conceiving their twins. Dion admitted that when the cancer first came back, she had difficulty explaining it to her younger children.
"When you see someone who is fighting so hard, it has a big impact on you," Dion said, as per E! News. "You have two choices. You look at your husband who's very sick and you can't help, and it kills you. Or you look at your husband that's sick and you say, 'I got you. I got it. I'm here. It's going to be just fine.'"
The singer took time off her Las Vegas residency in August to care for her ailing husband, telling USA Today in an interview that she promised to take care of their children in case anything happened to him. She also shared that during those months, her husband admitted to being scared of how the disease was eating away at his health, and told her that he wanted to "die in your arms".
The Dion family continues to request for privacy as they grieve the loss of both Angélil and Daniel.
