Celine Dion: Life, love and the power of song

It is indisputable that the Paris Olympics 2024 have been filled with contention. From its opening ceremony to accommodation in the Olympic Village, the event has come under fire from all sides.

However, one of its most heartwarming and historic moments was seeing Celine Dion return to the spotlight after a four-year absence due to her failing health.

Four years of heartbreaking silence

Celine Dion is by far one of the most talented and enduring singers of our generation. She broke into the American music scene in the early 90s after dominating the '88 Eurovision Song Contest and swiftly released several hit albums, including The Colour of My Love, Falling into You, and Let's Talk About Love, all of which surpassed the 30 million albums sold mark to achieve diamond status.

However, little did we know that her March 2020 performance in New Jersey as part of the Courage World Tour would be the last time she would sing live for another four years, making her sudden disappearance a hot topic of many blog articles.

Celine explained in one interview, "I can't use my vocal cords the way I want to" as a result of contractions of the muscles in the trunk and other parts of her body due to SPS, which is why she has sadly been unable to perform these past years, focusing instead on managing her condition.

The return of a beloved songbird

In 1996, the world stood in awe as the award-winning entertainer delivered a powerful rendition of The Power of the Dream, a song written specifically for the Atlanta Games. With her health being what it is, while many fans wanted to see her perform in Paris, it didn't seem likely that we would ever hear her live again.

Then, in a statement that showcases her strength of will, the renowned singer promised fans the following:

"My voice will be heard - I'm going back on stage, even if I have to crawl, even if I have to talk with my hands. I will... I will."

Her choice of song itself was loaded with meaning. The song she performed at the opening of the 2024 Olympic Games was L'Hymne à l'Amour (Hymn to Love), the swansong of the beloved French singer Edith Piaf, who faced a terrifying medical diagnosis. Piaf was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a disease she fought against until her last breath.

After her three-minute set, there wasn’t a dry eye in the stadium, and more than a few adoring fans shared their passionate responses to hear her sing again online.

After her triumphant return to the stage, Celine addressed her adoring fans, saying:

"Tonight, I stand here not just as a performer but as a survivor. This performance is for everyone fighting their own battles. Keep the faith, and remember, your heart will go on!"

The consummate professional that she is, and with a heart to raise up those around her, the French-Canadian performer took to social media after her performance, expressing how honoured she was to be able to perform at the event and praising the Olympic athletes for their determination and perseverance in pursuit of their dreams.

A whirlwind of love, romance and heartache

Celine Dion is one of those people whose destiny was written in the stars long before she was ever born. The youngest of fourteen children, the Quebec-born superstar was immediately earmarked as the most talented one in the family.

Her big break came when the Canadian performer and producer René Angélil received a cassette tape of Celine performing. According to the biography on her official website, he handed her a pencil and said:

"Here's your microphone. Now sing as though you were in front of a sold-out audience."

Angélil, who was about to take his career in a new direction, was so entranced by what he heard that he mortgaged his home to finance Celine's fledgling career, becoming her mentor and manager.

Despite the 26-year age gap, the time they spent together resulted in Celine and René falling in love. A romance built on the creation of some of the world's most powerful love songs had come to life and would see them through the next thirty years together.

They would not be easy years, but years that they would not trade for anything in the world, with Celine's career skyrocketing, the birth of their son René-Charles Angélil in 2001, and twin boys in 2010, Eddy (after Eddy Marnay, Celine's favourite producer, outside of René) and Nelson (after the famous South African president Nelson Mandela).

Sadly, Celine would lose the love of her life in 2016 to throat cancer. First diagnosed in 1999, when he went into remission and recovered fully, it had returned by 2013, forcing him to step down as her manager to focus on his health.

An unexpected light in the dark

To help her cope, René encouraged her to keep performing and not to allow grief to swallow her up.

Celine always notes how René demanded the "show must go on", so it is only fitting that his last words to her would be:

"I want to wish you a great show and to tell you I love you."

While she would tell him how much she loved him in return, she would not get to speak to him again as he would pass peacefully the following morning.

She would famously break down on stage a month after his passing while performing "My Heart Will Go On", causing many to ask if she would disappear into the shadows and live out her life in silence.

In an interesting turn of events, Celine attributes her return to the stage without René to the comedic genius behind the Deadpool movie franchise, Ryan Reynolds. He sent her a handwritten letter reminding her of the healing power of music and inviting her to perform the song Ashes for his upcoming Deadpool film.

An invitation Celine has embraced and is determined to live out for as long as she can—for her herself, for her sons, for her fans, and for her beloved René.