There Is More To Celine Dion That Meets The Eye… Read On To Find Out What Goes On Behind The Scenes

In the music industry, people like Celine Dion are one in a million. This star does not only have a great voice, but she is also a great person. She had something to say fairly recently, so let us hear her out.

The Diagnosis

Celine was completely unprepared for the news that she received in 1999. In all fairness, there was nothing that would have prepared her to find out that her husband was suffering from throat cancer. The doctors also let her know that he would eventually lose his basic living abilities. It meant that she would have to be his caretaker, which made things difficult. However, she was willing to do it all for him.

Her Life Is Never Dull

You would not believe the life that Celine Dion had lived. She was born into a difficult situation, so she was used to various hardships from the very beginning. However, it had not been smooth-sailing ever since she made it big. She still had to deal with the public eye, a forbidden relationship, and various health issues. It is hard to imagine all of these things when you see someone this talented flash a smile, however.

Celine’s Mom Hated Her Relationship

Her mother did not like that she and Rene were together. Celine narrated, “When I told her I had some really strong feelings for Rene she tried everything to kill him and make me snap out of it… I was very frustrated and mad at first, but she tried to make me understand that this man tried marriage twice before – he has three children, he’s not responsible, ‘I want the perfect Prince Charming for you’.”

She Had Problems Conceiving

Celine Dion might be a great singer, but even music legends deserve a break when they need one. In 2000, she did exactly this for family reasons. She and Rene wanted a child for a long time. She even got two operations for this. At last, the two of them welcomed Rene-Charles Dion Angelil on Jan. 25, 2001.

She Almost Died

It is hard to believe, but there was a time when she almost died! She was just 5 years old when she got hit by a truck. She was knocked out for nearly a week and got a fractured skull. She fully recovered later.

She Hated My Heart Will Go On

Here is an interesting fact about “My Heart Will Go On.” She did not like this song at all! In fact, she hated so much she thought it would ruin her future. “…I didn’t really like the song, at first. I did another song for a movie before. It was very successful, and I thought we were pushing our luck…” she said.

They Called Her A Traitor

It was in 1991 that she worked on a track for the 1991 animated film called “Beauty and the Beast.” Her performance even landed her a Grammy award. This was amazing, but the award and the popularity of the song angered the fans she had back home. The Quebecois decided to turn down the English Artist of the Year award at the Felix Awards. She wanted to reassure her fans she was a proud French Canadian.

Celine Wasn’t Planned

There are 14 children in the family, and Celine Dion happens to be the youngest of them all. Before she was born, her parents did not want to have any more kids. As you can imagine, it must have been hard on the wallet to raise 13 kids. Despite this, her birth was written in the stars. In the past, she had no choice but to sleep in the cabinet drawer because they did not have enough beds for the whole family.

Her Husband Put His Foot Down

Even though she did not like “My Heart Will Go On,” she eventually agreed to record and then release it after her husband Rene convinced her. She told Jonathan Ross, “[Angélil] said, ‘Let’s just do a demo. Let’s give it a try and we’ll see after.’ The demo is actually the real recording. I never sang the song again.” It was a great idea to do that! When they released it in 1997, it became a huge hit. She also won a bunch of awards for it. We are sure you will agree with us when we call it her most famous song!

A Shark When It Comes To Business

Her mom is a woman called Therese Tanguay Dion. She is quite popular in Quebec thanks to her cooking. In 1990, Celine herself opened a restaurant called Nickels. It looks like she got her skills in the kitchen from her mom! The business venture was so successful that she turned it into a chain. Cool, huh?

Suing For Millions For Spreading Lies

Celine had quite a rough time during the ‘90s. During this time period, she released 13 studio albums and learned that Rene had cancer. After his diagnosis, the singer took a break from work. Sometime during her hiatus, National Enquirer made up a story about how she was pregnant and expecting twins! She decided to sue them for $20 million. In the end, they apologized to her and gave money to the American Cancer Society on her behalf.

Doctor Dion

She is the recipient of the National Order of Quebec. It is the highest honor one can get in the province. She also has her own Canadian and Hollywood Walks of Fame stars as well as an honorary doctorate courtesy of Laval University. She said it was “a very great honor for a little girl from Charlemagne.” Aww!

She Had No Other Choice

Two years before she was born, a French singer called Hugues Aufray came out with a song called “Céline.” When she was 5 years old, little Celine sang the song at her sibling’s wedding. It is now thought to be the breakthrough moment for her. Everyone in the family was talented, but Celine even more so!

Discovered In The Weirdest Way

The entire family saw that Celine was a talented little girl. Her brother Jacques and her mother Celine decided to do something about it. They wrote a song for her, praying that this would help her start a career in the music industry. In the end, a producer by the name of Rene Angelil contacted them.

Her Mom Had To Interfere

Celine’s mother Therese shipped the demo to Rene and added a note that said, “This is a 12-year-old with a fantastic voice. Please listen to her. We want her to be like Ginette Reno.” While he did not respond in the beginning, he decided to give it a shot after one of the Dion boys convinced him to give it a shot. When he finally did, he was blown away and set up a meeting with Celine.

Her Audition Was Far From Normal

Rene was completely moved by her voice. When Celine came in to audition, she was given a pretend mic. He then told her, “Here’s your microphone. Now sing as though you were in front of a sellout audience.” The performance had been amazing, and Rene was sold.

Younger Than Her Own Stepson

Rene Angelil had already been married two times before he even met Celine. As a matter of fact, he even had a child with his first wife. Patrick Angelil was only a little older than she was!

Rene Burst Into Tears

The audition had been super emotional. She said that Rene even began to cry as she sang for him! She could tell that she managed to impress him at the very least. He signed her right away since he knew that she was going to make it big. However, she was a young girl who had to earn her keep as well.

High Stakes Gambler

Rene knew that he just signed someone who was going to be a superstar in the future. He was so sure of it that he decided to mortgage his own house to secure the funding they needed for her first album. In the end, his efforts paid off. In 1981, her first single made it to the top spot on the charts!

The Pope Loved Her

In 1984, Quebec got a visit from the Pope. Celine was asked to sing Une Colombe, a French song, for Pope John II at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. He loved the performance and she enjoyed it as well!

She Demanded Time To Grow Up

She had a great start to a career in the music industry. However, Rene told her that she should take a break. It was a risky move since she was still a new face. However, she decided to follow his advice and take 18 months off. It was during this time that she believes she turned into a woman.

Learning English And Going Global

In the end, it looked like they made the right choice! When she came back, she was more confident and could sing in English better. She released her comeback album called Incognito, which sold more than half a million copies.

America’s Sweetheart Was Born

She released Unison, her first album in English, in 1990. It was a great success and turned her into a huge star around the globe as well. It went gold in the United States thanks to its many chart-topping hits such as “Where Does My Heart Beat Now.” It was all going well for the talented singer… or was it?

Almost Losing Her Voice Forever

Before she was meant to go on tour, she lost her voice all of a sudden. The culprits were exhaustion and laryngitis. She still wanted to go on the tour but was advised to rest her voice to avoid further damage.

Revealing Her Big Secret

There was already talk of romance between her and Rene. They did not talk about it for a long time! She decided that it was the right time to acknowledge it before she released “The Colour Of My Love.”

Fearing The Public

The two of them started their relationship when she was 19. If you wanted to know about their age gap, He actually had 26 years on her. They knew that many people would think that it was controversial, and they were correct. Despite the backlash, they would eventually get married and begin a family together.

She’s A Fantastic Secret Keeper

It took them 5 years before they could talk about it in public. In 1994, Rene was interviewed and said that he was scared of what others would say. Celine had been the one who wanted to make it public. She did not care about what others thought: “When you’re in love, you want to scream it to the world.”

Going Overboard

The two of them walked down the aisle on December 17, 1994. The ceremony at the Montreal Notre-Dame Basilica was even broadcasted on Canadian television. By then, people were already treating them like the Canadian royal couple. A lot of people wanted to see the wedding for themselves!

Bridezilla Or Royal Princess?

Celine wore a lovely wedding gown designed by Mirella and Steve Gentile. They say that it took over 1,000 hours to make this, mostly thanks to the 20-foot train. The outfit came with a 20-pound tiara that she wore on the big day. The whole world fell in love with her getup and could not stop talking about it!

Pricey Homes And Multiple Investments

Money was never a problem for this couple. Rene and Celine even bought a gorgeous Florida mansion that had its own water park, a golf course, and three pools. They paid $72 million for it!

He Was Her Everything

After enjoying the success that Titanic brought her, it was time for Celine to go on the “Let’s Talk About Love” tour. It was going well, so she was shocked to hear the news that Rene had cancer. She found out this during a show and sang a song for him. He died of cancer on January 14, 2016 at the age of 73.

Her Children’s Names Were Chosen Carefully

Before this happened, Rene and Celine first welcomed their babies on October 23, 2010. She delivered the twin boys they went on to call Nelson and Eddy. Can you guess who they were named after? Well, one was named after Eddy Marnay, the other for Nelson Mandela!

Dreaming Of Changing The World

In 2004, the Asian tsunami struck. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc in the United States. Both times, Celine Dion pledged a million bucks to help the victims. She also criticized the U.S. government for its failure to help the victims of the hurricane.

Her Secret Dad

We hear a lot about her mom, but what does she have to say about Adhemar Dion, her dad? He passed away in 2001. She said, “My dad was and is still my number one fan since I was a very little girl. I know that my dad would want me to be here tonight on stage with everyone I love, doing what we love.”

She Prepared her Kids for Death

We are sure that it was hard for her to take on the responsibility of preparing the kid for the death of their dad. Looking back, this was what she had to say: “I’m proud of the way I prepared my boys for their dad’s death. In life, you never know what’s going to happen, so you should never wait for tomorrow to do what can be done today, to say I love you, or send a thank-you note…The future is now.”

Her Son is Too Young

Her eldest son Rene Charles Angelil became a hot topic on social media when he showed up at the Billboard Music Awards to present an award to his mom. It was the first time that many people saw him, and he won everyone over with his charm, youth, and good looks!

She Made it to 90

Even though Therese Dion had certain quibbles with her daughter, the two of them are still very close to one another. She is doing very well as well. Fairly recently, she celebrated her 90th birthday!

She NEVER Misses a Beat

Not all celebs are fun or pleasant during interviews, but Celine Dion is not like most people! She has a reputation for being a great interviewee. When she was interviewed by Ellen DeGeneres, she got a compliment on the jewelry she was wearing. Celine replied by singing “She worked hard for the money” from the Donna Summer song!

Without a Brother

Even though she has been lucky in many aspects of her life, she has also gone through misfortune. She actually lost Rene and one of her brothers in the same week. We are sure it was a terrible time for her.

Her Siblings Never Made It Big

The Dion family is talented when it comes to music. Like Celine, one of her older sisters wanted to shoot her shot. Sadly, Claudette did not see the same success that the youngest member of the family did.

Making Money Off Her Fashion Sense

Did you know that Celine Dion has a fashion line of her own as well? She has always been one stylish lady, so it is not surprising to hear that she wanted to do this. Over the years, she has released more than 200 items that range from accessories to bags. Her biggest inspirations for the collections are her family members, primarily her mother and twin sons.

TV Debut

She might be best known for singing, but you should know that she has also appeared in a number of TV cameos. Among other roles, she was in the Thanksgiving episode of All My Children.

A Voice Worth Hundreds Of Millions

Even though she has gone into a lot of other things, singing is still her main talent and passion. After all, it propelled her to stardom and changed her life completely. Her current net worth sits at $700 million.

A Canadian Star

Here is something neat about her. She is one of several Canadian celebs with their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is even more impressive that she has one in the Canada Walk of Fame too.

They Are All Related

This is something that you will have a hard time believing! All the women below are related to Celine. Shania Twain, Beyonce, Madonna, and Celine can all trace their lineage to Zacharie Cloutier. He was a French man who went to North American in search of a better life in 1634. He was one of the first few settlers in “New France.” He must have a lot of talent too, considering how all these ladies turned out.

Master Of Many Tongues

If you are not yet impressed by her for some reason, this one might do it for you. Even though she sings most of her songs in French and English, she has performed in a bunch of other languages too. She has sung in Italian, Latin, German, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese!

A Staggering Net Worth

Her life has changed a lot ever since she made it big. She has a rags to riches story that you thought only happened in the movies. She has made a fortune over the years after she sold out concerts, launched a restaurant chain, created a fashion line, sold millions of records, invested in real estate, and made public appearances. During the ‘00s, she was actually one of the top-grossing artists. Good job, Celine!

Hit And Miss

She had been very lucky that a bunch of her songs went on to be such huge hits. She has also worked on a lot of movies in the past. Without a doubt, you know “My Heart Will Go On.” However, you might not know that she recorded one that flopped. “Dreams to Dream” for “An American Tail: Fievel Goes West.”

A Lifetime Hobby

Celine Dion is not like anyone else we know. We bet you had no idea that she is a huge fan of golf. She does not only watch, but she plays as well. She even says it is one of the major hobbies in her life.

Love Of Golf

Do you want to know how much she loves this sport? In 2008, she made a huge commitment to it. She and Rene decided to help work on Le Mirage, a golf club based in Quebec. They donated millions to its renovation and helped promote the place. On the website, you will see the official public statement they issued. They said that “a visit to the Mirage is an adventure in itself.”

And The Winner Goes To…Celine Dion

We all know that Celine Dion has a great voice on her. Luckily, she has received all sorts of awards for it. She sure deserves them all! She also has the record for the highest number of Oscar performances.

The Oscars

She has worked on many hit movie soundtracks in the past, which is one of the reasons they continue to ask her to return to the Oscars. That’s right, she is the person who has performed most often in the past. In 2011, she delivered the record-setting 6th performance when she sang “Smile” to honor the memory of the celebs who died in the past year.

Oscar Fashion

Celine Dion has also become famous for her incredible, if divisive, fashion sense. Need an example? The stylish celebrity caused quite an uproar when she went to the 1999 Oscars in a backward white tuxedo.

Backwards White Tux

She got a lot of criticism when she did this. Some even said that it was a “fashion disaster.” When she talked to PEOPLE magazine, she said that she did not regret doing such a thing. According to her, it was just before its time. If you ask us, we think it is great that she can express herself like this. Good for her!

White Backwards Tux

Celine said, “When I wore that look, yes it was at the Oscars, and when I wore that, everyone was wearing dresses, not pants.” She also added, “I was the only one with pants in a backward suit from Galliano and if I would do this today it would work. It was avant-garde at the time. And it doesn’t matter, you just have to assume what you wear, you wear, and I did.”

It’s All Coming Back To Me Now

Let us talk some more about her music, shall we? This one nearly made us lose our minds! Her song “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” was meant to go to Meat Loaf until the composer had a change of heart. They thought that the song would be better if it was performed by a female artist, so it went to Celine.

Clinging On To Her Children

It was only natural that she would find it hard to cope with the loss of her husband and life partner. In an interview, she explained what it is like: “I miss him a lot for my partner, for the man I was embracing, kissing, making love with. I organize myself to not feel lonely. So what’s happened is I got myself a huge bed and I sleep with my twins. My twins are comforting me a lot. I need them. I need them close.”

She Can Pretty Much Sing Anything

If it were not for her unbelievable vocal range, she would not be this famous. We do not think that there is a song that she can sing and make her own. Aside from the diversity in her music, she likes to put her own spin on songs by other musicians as well. If you want to see what you can do, she has neat covers of “Beautiful Boy” by John Lennon, “All By Myself” by Eric Carmen, and “I Drove All Night” by Cyndi Lauper.

Collaborations

Aside from covering a bunch of hit songs by other artists, she is also someone with a reputation for being “a great collaborator.” In the past, Celine Dion has performed incredible duets with the likes of Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Luciano Pavarotti, and Michael Jackson. Wow.

Certified Diamond

In 1999, “diamond status” was awarded to albums that have sold more than 10 million copies. The Record Industry Association of America does not give it out to just anyone, but Celine Dion is worthy of it. We will have you know that she does not only have one diamond album but two! They are none other than Falling Into You (1996) and Let’s Talk About Love (1997).

A Best Selling Female Artist

In 1991, record execs started to observe album sales with the use of the Nielson Soundscan System. The data showed that Celine Dion was one of the best-selling female musicians in the United States and Canada. The only people who were ahead of her in this category were Mariah Carey and Rihanna!

Catholic Star

What about her religious upbringing? Celine Dion was raised a Roman Catholic. In 2014, she explained, “It’s important for people to have something they can touch and believe in.” She also said, “I say that to believe in yourself is to believe in God. For me, God is life itself, the birds, the air, the sunrise and the sunset, the children. Yes, that is where I find God. Not in a church.”

Reaching For Gold

Celine Dion is the type of person who was made to break records. Many were impressed that she did well in France, which was a hard thing to do. Her single “D’amour ou d’amitié” went gold there!

Upgrading Her Image

As she started to become more famous, she decided that it was time for an upgrade when it came to the way she looked. She thought her teeth looked unattractive. Perhaps this was because tabloids called her “Canine Dion.” She decided to get a bunch of dental procedures in an effort to improve her smile!

Mid Career Misses

We already heard that she took three years off during the early ‘00s. Upon her return, she released an album called “A New Day Has Come.” The 2002 album talked about what it was like to be a new mom.

Accessible To All

Even though she has seen more success than most people ever will, she continues to remain grounded. She treats all of her fans very well. After the death of her husband, she let her fans see her and extend their sympathies on a personal level. Don’t you think that was selfless of her? Aside from that, she also let Rene’s eight-hour funeral be broadcasted since she wanted to remain open with all of her fans.

She Won By A Single Point

In 1988, she made it big in the Eurovision Song Contest. She chose to represent Switzerland even if she was not connected to it. In the end, she won by a narrow margin. The UK was only a point behind her!

Michael Jackson’s Fanatic Fan

Did you know that she is a big Michael Jackson fan? When she was starting out, she even told Rene that she wanted to achieve the same things he did. We bet that the King of Pop was a motivation for her! Perhaps he was one of the reasons she won many awards and released many albums by the age of 18.

A 5-Year-Old Hanging Out At A Bar

The Dion family once ran a piano bar called Le Vieux Baril in Charlemagne, Quebec. They practiced music often in the quaint little place. Celine Dion started to perform there on a regular basis when she was 5!

“A New Day Has Come” Received Harsh Criticism

“A New Day Has Come” talked about what it was like to be a new mom. It was the first album of hers to debut in the top spot of the Billboard 200. However, critics found the lyrics “forgettable” and “lifeless.” Oof.

Gold In France

Celine Dion is someone who leaves her mark in everything she does. She was the first Canadian singer to ever achieve the gold status for France record sales. She was only a teenager when she did this! Whoa.

Switzerland?

She got her first taste of international fame in the ‘80s. In those days, she won the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival and the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest. She competed for Switzerland both times.

Caesars Palace

In 1999, she had been enjoying the height of her success when she stepped back to spend more time with Rene after his cancer diagnosis. In 2002, she came back and signed a contract to perform at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on a nightly basis.

Most Successful Concert Residency Of All Time

This is another record that Celine Dion holds. Her five-star show at the Las Vegas venue continues to be the best-grossing residency show in all of music history. They made $385 million during the run!

Another Residency Show!

The first show was such a huge hit that they asked her to come back in 2011 for another residency show. Celine Dion signed a contract where she agreed to perform in them until 2019.

Highest Paid Resident Performer

Not only that, but she also happens to be the best-paid resident performer in history. She makes $500k for each show. Yup, she earned more than Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, and even Elton John did.

Documentary Success

In 2011, Own Network aired a documentary about her life. It did not shy away from talking about her life, from her pregnancy to the Las Vegas show. It is still the second highest-rated TV Own Canada show!

Everyone Wants To Sit Next To Her

FlightNework.com recently conducted a poll and asked 780 folks who they would like to find sitting right beside them on the plane. Celine Dion got most of the votes at 23.7%! The result makes sense to us!

Perfume Lines

She has a lot of businesses to her name. However, her perfume line is a lot more successful than her other attempts. Recently, she came out with her 14th Celine Dion Parfums Collection entry, “Signature.”

She Is Influenced By The Greatest Artists

Do you know who Celine Dion calls her big musical influences? Here are a few of them: Aretha Franklin, Charles Aznavour, Michael Jackson, Carole King, Anne Murray, Barbra Streisand, and the Bee Gees.

She Has A Great Sense Of Humor

MADtv, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Saturday Night Live, Royal Canadian Air Farce, and South Park have previously impersonated the Canadian musician. They like to make fun of her for her stage antics and strong accent. In the past, she says that she feels flattered that they would do such a thing. There was even a time when she asked Ana Gasteyer, who played her on SNL, to climb up the stage and join her during a New York performance. We are glad that she is a good-natured person with a sense of humor.

Hurricane Katrina

She does not get involved in politics, but she could not help but speak her mind when she went on Larry King Live during Hurricane Katrina. She bashed the US government for its response: “There are people still there waiting to be rescued. To me, that is not acceptable … How can it be so easy to send planes in another country to kill everybody in a second and destroy lives. We need to serve our country.”

She Is Greatly Admired By Other Artists

Don’t you think that it is cool that Frank Ocean Jordin Sparks, Rihanna, Lea Michele, Adele, Britney Spears, and Taylor Swift all car her a big influence on their music? We hope Celine Dion is proud of this!

Timbaland Loves Her Too

Even DJ Timbaland has a lot of love for Celine Dion. He said, “Celine has such a beautiful, mesmerizing voice. She is so talented. I think we could create something that is a classic like she is already.”

Celine Changed Vegas

Pollstar’s Gary Bongiovanni said that Celine redefined what performers can do in Las Vegas. Caesars Palace’s Kurt Melien feels that way as well. He said, “Celine was a pioneer without question … Twenty years ago, we couldn’t have got someone the stature of Britney Spears to appear in Vegas. Stars like her would never have considered it if Celine hadn’t paved the way. She changed the face of modern Vegas.”

Song Of The Century

The Recording Industry Association of America, together with The National Endowment for the Arts, gave “My Heart Will Go On” Song of the Century status. We can definitely see why they did such a thing.

Goodwill Ambassador

In 2010, Celine Dion took on the role of a UN Goodwill Ambassador. It was a program that the United Nations incepted and founded in 1999. She is definitely deserving of an important role like this one.

Canada Honored Her Too

Canada decided to honor Celine Dion in its own way as well. In 2013, the country gave her the Companion of the Order of Canada. Mind you, this was a very prestigious award! What a great honor.

She’s A Big Philanthropist

One of the reasons she was granted this title was her philanthropy. She has actually worked with a bunch of charities in the past. She helped the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, for one. She also helped McDonald’s raise funds for World Children’s Day.

An Emotional Announcement

It has been quite some time since she had to say goodbye to her husband of 22 years. Recently, she decided to clear somethings up when it comes to her love life after rumors surfaced. In an interview, she said, “Bizarre.” Celine added, “Now it is definitely too soon for me. I am definitely in love with him, married to him…He’s the love of my life. It’s very difficult for me to see myself with another person.”