Celebrity News February 23, 2016
Livestream: Céline Dion's Emotional Tribute to René Angélil at Las Vegas Show
Céline Dion invited the world to watch via livestream as she paid tribute to her late husband René Angélil at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Watch:
Dion honored René during the first 20 minutes of her show, which started at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET.
A message on her Facebook page welcomed fans to participate, “Join the public and fans who have come to salute Céline's return and witness her love tribute to René at the beginning of the show.”
The tribute started with a quote from Céline, which read, "I understood that my career was in a way his masterpiece, his song, his symphony. The idea of leaving it unfinished would have hurt him terribly. I realized that if he ever left us, I would have to continue without him, for him."
Following the quote, there was a video of memorable moments in René's life before Céline appeared on stage to sing "With One More Look at You/Watch Closely Now."
After belting out the number, Celine told the audience while holding back tears, "Thank you, I did rehearse this song in my closet and it went way better than that. Through my life, I only had highs from my husband who sat out here night after night. People thought that I was looking at him actually, but I didn't need to, because every time I closed my eyes I felt René on stage with me whether he was seated in his seat right there, in the balcony, backstage or at home with the kids. He's always been on stage with me. And nothing will ever change that."
Dion went on, "You know René always surrounded me with the very best people possible. I trusted him so much, that I never had the chance to worry about anything. Now I guess it is only a natural impulse to constantly question myself. 'Would he let the kids play with these toys?' and, 'Is this song too fast? Is this song too slow? Don't talk too much.' It is pretty amazing that since he is no longer physically with me he is even more present. René was my very best critic. He never told me what I wanted to hear, he told me what I needed to hear. You know night after night on our way back home from the show when he was so silent, I could sense that he was trying to know how to approach me without hurting my artistic feeling, but there were things that he had to tell me for my own growth. René is the only man that I have known all my life. He always made me feel that we were on our first date, isn't that amazing? Never talking bluntly, and always impressing himself in a soft and gentle way. We were one. And nothing has changed we will always be one."
She added, "You know, I might not hear his voice yet, but I talk to him. I think of him all the time. I feel and I know he hears me. One way or another, I know he will give me a sign, for his approval or not. And now I can feel that he's telling me to zip it and start singing. Thank you so much for being here."
Before performing "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" and "Because You Loved Me," she spoke a few words of French to show her love for René.