It's rare in the entertainment world to see a couple so devoted to each other. But Dion and Angélil have proven that this kind of love is not only possible — but can also be lasting. They met when she was only 12 and he was 38. And after years of building her career and a life together, the singer is now staying by her husband's side as he battles cancer. As the pair celebrate their 21st anniversary, we take a look back at the many highs and occasional lows of their sweet romance.
When Dion was 19, she and Angélil went on their first official date in 1987 (though she admitted that they started seeing each other about a year before that). She didn't announce their relationship until five years later in the liner notes of her album, The Color of My Love. "I was afraid of what people would think," Angélil has admitted of their 26-year age gap. But Celine wanted the truth out there: "When you're in love, you want to scream it to the world."
They got engaged in 1991, even though their romance was still a secret to the world. But her mother did not immediately approve. "It was very difficult for her," Dion revealed. "When I told her I had some really strong feelings for René 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... Then it was so strong that my whole family was in love with him and she had no choice." Eventually, the couple married in a lavish wedding ceremony at Montreal's Notre-Dame Basilica on December 17, 1994, which was broadcast live on Canadian television.
Dion's star kept rising, which was great news for the newly married couple and professional partners. (She received a World Music Award in Monte Carlo, Monaco, in May 1995.)
In 1998, the couple's world was shaken when Angélil was diagnosed with throat cancer. Despite her demanding career, Dion chose to step back and take a hiatus to focus on her personal life and care for her husband. Looking back on their years of marriage, the star has said they've certainly had tough times: "We had tension between us. It's never easy being husband and wife, but add to that we are in business together, dealing with all the added pressures of shows, concerts, tours, traveling. It was hard – a lot of hard work."
Angelil was declared cancer-free in 2000. The couple celebrated by renewing their wedding vows in a traditional Melkite Byzantine ceremony in Las Vegas. Of the elaborate event, Dion said: "It's almost like a show, and we're show business people."
Finally, Dion was ready to resume performing, with a healthy Angélil by her side. In 2002, she released album A New Day Has Come and announced her residency at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. In January 2003, she kicked off the Super Bowl (pictured here) with "God Bless America."
In August, Dion returned to performing in Las Vegas, while Angelil battles cancer at their nearby home. "I didn't want to be here at first," Dion, 47, told USA Today of how her husband of 21 years pushed her to go. "But René really gave me a gift. All my grieving, it was during this last year. I think I've got this. For now. When it hits me, it's going to hit me. But my biggest job is to tell my husband, we're fine. I'll take care of our kids. You'll watch us from another spot." Angélil, 73, has been on a feeding tube for two years, and Dion tries to be strong during his lengthy illness. "I'll say, 'You're scared? I understand. Talk to me about it,'" she said. "And René says to me, 'I want to die in your arms.' OK, fine, I'll be there, you'll die in my arms."
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