Celine Dion and her three sons are doing what they can to keep alive the legacy of her late husband and their dad, René Angélil.
The Grammy-winning superstar, who is mother to René-Charles, 20, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 10, told Natalie Morales in an interview that aired Monday on TODAY that Angélil is still very much a presence in their world five years after his death in 2016.
“Losing my husband, for my kids to lose their father, it was quite something,” she said. “I feel like René has given me so much through the years and still today. I see my kids. I look at them — we live with him. We still live with him. He's part of our lives every day, so I have to say that I feel very, very strong.”
Though Dion lost her longtime love, Natalie wondered if she’s given thought to opening up her heart to love again. In 2019, she told TODAY she wasn’t quite ready to get back into dating, and it seems she’s still not entirely sure about it.
“I don't know. I have no idea,” she said. “But right this second, love is so big right now in my life, with my kids, with life itself. I'm not thinking about a relationship and falling in love again. I don't. Do I have to say that it will never happen anymore? I don't know. I don't know.”
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Like millions of people around the world, Dion’s life was turned upside down due to the pandemic, forcing her to stop her world tour and take a step back to stay at home with her kids.
“The tour was canceled. The whole world shut off and it was definitely different, but for us we were very fortunate,” she said.
She said she and her children managed to make lemons into lemonade.
“It was the old-fashioned family fun, simple pleasures of life, playing outside a lot, being with them, cuddling at night,” she said. “Honestly, making the best out of this.”
As nice as it was to spend time with her family, Dion is ready to return to the stage and is getting ready to begin a residency at Resorts World Las Vegas after performing at Caesars Palace for 16 years. The “My Heart Will Go On” singer says Las Vegas holds a special place in her heart.
“Vegas has given us, my family and I, an opportunity for me to be a mom, for them to be kids, for me to perform for my fans and to practice my passion and every night come home,” she said. “That is rare, so I really feel that Vegas has given me motherhood and the best as an artist, the best of both worlds.”
She also said her new show will give fans a chance to smile and feel a sense of renewal.
“It's going to be about an energy, about starting again, about living again, about feeling that something will come out of this, hopefully,” she said. “It's about a moment.”