Céline Dion Struggled To Have Children & Now Her Adult Son Harbors Business Ambitions

Aug 03, 2023 by apost team

Céline Dion is arguably one of the most talented singers of our generation. The French-Canadian performer sang herself into our hearts when the world was first introduced to her during the 1988 Eurovision song contest, which she won at the tender age of 20. Her phenomenal rise to superstardom only continued, and before long, she was known to audiences across the world and could count millions as her fans. 

With phenomenal success comes a lot of riches, but despite her countless No. 1 hits, album sales, awards and accolades, Dion has proven that she knows happiness in life is about much more than that. For Dion, nothing in the world comes above her family. 

Dion somewhat controversially entered into a romantic relationship with her manager René Angélil when she was around 17-18 years old and he was 26 years her senior, but she went on to prove her naysayers wrong. The couple was married in a beautiful ceremony and their relationship stood the test of time, lasting until his tragic death from throat cancer in 2016 at the age of 73.

Dion worked long and hard, enduring IVF treatments and a miscarriage, to have biological children. This resulted in three sons: René-Charles Angélil, born in 2001, and twins Nelson and Eddy Angélil, born in 2010. The world first got to see the little twins outside Caesars Palace in Las Vegas back in 2011 as newborns. And now, Dion's elder son René-Charles is all grown up and ready to take on the world much in the footsteps of his famous mom as a savvy industry player.

According to Huffington Post Canada, Dion fell in love with René at around 17-18 years old. Their decades-large year age gap, however, would make their love a difficult one to pursue. She revealed to the outlet that her mother was not especially happy with the couple. 

“If I reversed roles — when I had my first son, RC, if I think of him and he comes (to me) with this lady who has kids and she's 45 and she thinks she knows best, (I'd be) like, 'Take your hand off of my son,’” she admitted.

The '90s saw Dion's star continue to rise, as she released albums in English and French to great acclaim. These include "The Colour of My Love" and "Falling Into You." And who can forget her now-signature song "My Heart Will Go On," which was the love theme from the 1997 film "Titanic." 

Having already achieved considerable success, it was following this period that Dion took time to focus on her personal life. She welcomed her first child, a son named René-Charles in 2001 via IVF. Raising a son made it apparent to the doting parents that they absolutely wanted to have more children. However, after finding it difficult to conceive naturally, the couple started undergoing more IVF treatments. 

They still struggled, however, and Dion opened up to Oprah Winfrey in 2010 about miscarrying while undergoing the treatment. Despite the adversity, they were still determined to have another child. Then, finally, in 2010, René announced Dion was 14 weeks pregnant with twins. 

On Oct. 10 that year, Dion gave birth to Eddy and Nelson in Florida. Their names have a particularly important meaning for Dion, with Eddy being named after her favorite songwriter, Eddy Marnay, and Nelson being named after Nelson Mandela, according to People Magazine.

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However, tragically, the boys lost their father, René, at a young age, when he succumbed to a years-long on-and-off battle with cancer. 

“When you see someone who is fighting so hard, it has a big impact on you,” Dion told People in 2015. “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.’"

Just two days before his 74th birthday, René passed away. ”Knowing that now he’s in peace and is resting and is always within me. I see him every day through the eyes of my children. He gave me so much strength,” Dion told Hello Magazine.

Dion continued to raise their three sons as a single mother. Her Instagram feed is full of photos of her wonderful boys. They show just how much her children, particularly her oldest son, René-Charles, have grown. René-Charles’ family resemblance is hard to deny, what with his famous mother's piercing eyes and uplifting smile. In a tribute on his 19th birthday, she shared a photo of him as a baby, as well as a more recent snap of them together that showed off their similar looks. 

On Mother’s Day 2022, Dion shared a sweet family portrait of her, René-Charles and the twins altogether. Close to the year’s end, Dion stunned the world by revealing that she had been diagnosed with a debilitating disease called stiff-person syndrome. The disorder, which affects twice as many women as men, leaves patients often unable to walk or move, with spasms and falls easily triggered by loud sounds. 

Beyond sharing the same looks as his mother, René-Charles has also been blessed with her musicality. After hinting that he was working on music through his social media channels, he released his first record in January 2021 titled “CasiNo.5.” 

However, after René’s passing, Dion never wanted René-Charles to feel pressured to take on more than he could handle. She explained, "I said to him, 'I never want you to feel the pressure of being the man of the house, you have your own dreams and he is always with you in your heart and I am here for you.'"

Those dreams now appear to be becoming a successful businessman, as René-Charles has changed the description in his Instagram bio to “entrepreneur.” But despite harboring big dreams just like Dion, he’s just as family-oriented as his mother. Speaking at his father’s funeral in 2016, René-Charles said:

“Fifteen years is not a long time for a son to get to know his father… You left me now with enough good memories of you to share with my younger brothers. As they grow older, without you being around, I’ll make sure to pass on what I’ve learned from you.”

A year after René's death, Dion spoke with Extra TV about how she and her three kids had been able to grieve together.

"What makes me most proud is to be a mother," she said. "I have three magnificent kids that through them I see my husband and I have the strength today to keep dressing up."

Dion spoke highly about how her children – who were ages 14 and 5 at the time of their father's death – stayed strong during such a challenging time. "To be honest, they're remarkable," Dion said. "They are helping me, I am helping them – it's mutual."

What are your thoughts on Céline Dion’s family? Do you sympathize with the difficulties she has faced in life? Are you optimistic about René-Charles' ambitions? If so, let us know and be sure to pass this along to any Céline Dion fans you know.