Celine Dion has cemented herself as one of the music industry’s most powerful artists over the years.
Born the 14th child to parents Thérèse and Adhémar Dion in Quebec, Canada, Celine grew up with music from a young age and wrote her first song at the age of 12, according to her official website. The song, titled “Ce n’était qu’un rêve,” caught the attention of talent manager René Angélil, whom she would later go on to marry in 1994. (Angélil died in 2016 at age 73 after a battle with throat cancer.)
But years before the famous couple tied the knot, the “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” singer continued to grow her career by singing on TV shows and at festivals, including performing for Pope John Paul II at Montréal’s Olympic Stadium in 1984. Celine even won the famous Eurovision song competition in 1988.
1990 marked a turning point in her budding career with the release of her first English-language album, Unison, which earned Celine her first top-10 single with the song “Where Does My Heart Beat Now.” After releasing one of her most famous collabs, “Beauty and the Beast,” with Peabo Bryson in 1991, she scored her first Grammy award for the Disney title track in 1993. The hit also won the award for Best Original Song at the 1992 Oscars.
Celine found herself with another hit song in 1993 with “The Power of Love” off her album The Colour of My Love, which was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 1995 Grammys.
The “Because You Loved Me” singer continued to cement her icon status throughout the late ‘90s, taking home numerous awards for her 1996 alum Falling Into You — including two 1997 Grammys for Album of the Year and Best Pop Album — in addition to winning Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 1999 Grammys for her Oscar-winning song from the film Titanic, “My Heart Will Go On.”
In addition to releasing 27 studio albums and hundreds of songs over the past several decades, she also became a mother to three boys, welcoming son René-Charles and twins Nelson and Eddy in 2001 and 2010, respectively. Not to mention, she also became a Las Vegas staple, performing at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace over the course of 16 nonconsecutive years with two separate residencies.
In December 2022, the musician revealed that she had been diagnosed with the “very rare neurological disorder” called stiff-person syndrome.
Scroll down for a look back at Celine’s life and career:
Credit: Adam Scull/Shutterstock
1990-1991
Three years after the release of her first studio album, Incognito, Celine released her first English-language album, Unison, in 1990. The song “Where Does My Heart Beat Now” off the record became her first top-10 single that same year.
1992-1993
She released her self-titled album, Celine Dion, in 1992, which featured her memorable duet “Beauty and the Beast” with Bryson. The Disney tune went on to win Best Original Song at the 1993 Grammys.
1994
Celine and Angélil tied the knot after several years together on December 17, 1994.
1996-1997
The Muppets Most Wanted star released back-to-back albums, Falling Into You and Let’s Talk About Love, in 1996 and 1997, respectively. The latter won big at the 1997 Grammy Awards, taking home the trophies for Album of the Year and Best Pop Album.
1997 also marked the year Celine released one of her biggest songs of all time, “My Heart Will Go On” from the film Titanic, directed by James Cameron and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.2001
1998-1999
One year after releasing another French album, S’il Suffisait D’aimer, Celine took home two more Grammys in 1999 — Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance — for “My Heart Will Go On.”
2010-2011
2001
Celine became a first-time mother with the birth of her and Angélil’s son, René-Charles.
2002-2003
The singer released her album A New Day Has Come in 2002, followed by One Heart in 2003. That same year, she began her first Las Vegas residency — titled A New Day… — at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, which ran from 2003 to 2007. The show continues to hold the title of highest-grossing Vegas residency for a musical artist.
2010-2011
Celine and her husband welcomed their twin sons Eddy and Nelson in 2010. A year later, she returned to the Vegas stage with the opening of her second residency, simply titled Celine.
2016
Angélil passed away at the age of 73 after battling throat cancer in January 2016. “René wanted to die in my arms,” Celine detailed in a May interview with Paris Match magazine, noting that she was performing at her residency at the time of his death. “He must have wanted to get up and he fell on the floor.”
Sharing more details about the tragic day, she continued: “Normally, after my show when he had taken his last medications, I gave him a kiss, tucked him in and sent him off to sleep. That evening I didn’t want to wake him. It was the nurse who found him the next day. Distraught, she came to find me.”
2019
The singer bid farewell to Vegas with the conclusion of her second residency in 2009, in addition to releasing her album Courage.
2022
In December 2022, Celine revealed that she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome. Mayo Clinic defines the disease as “a rare disorder of motor function characterized by involuntary stiffness of axial muscles and superimposed painful muscle spasms, which are often induced by startle or emotional stimuli.”
“Her kids have been her rock … the twins are very mature for their age and René-Charles checks in and dotes on his mom all the time,” a source exclusively told Us later that month of how her family was handling her health update.
Noting that the Canada native is “an eternal optimist,” the insider continued: “Celine received this diagnosis fairly recently; she’s been suffering the symptoms for quite some time, but it always baffled her what was wrong. It came as a shock, but she’s lost none of her fighting spirit and is comforted that at least she knows exactly what she’s dealing with now and there’s comfort that she can alleviate some of the symptoms by getting treatments that are specific for this condition.”
“It is with tremendous disappointment that we have to announce today the cancellation of the Courage World Tour,” a message on Dion’s Instagram account read. “I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again. I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%.”
She continued: “It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again. I want you all to know, I’m not giving up… and I can’t wait to see you again!”
The statement noted that all purchased tickets would be refunded.
Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
2024
Dion kicked off 2024 with a surprise appearance at the Grammy Awards in February amid her ongoing health battle. The singer received a standing ovation when walking out on stage.
“When I say, I’m happy to be here, I really mean it. From my heart,” she said before awarding Album of the Year to Taylor Swift. “Those who have been blessed enough to be here at the Grammy Awards must never take for granted the tremendous love and joy that music brings to our lives and people around the world.”
