Céline Dion - back in luck

She had a difficult time a year ago when her husband and manager René Angélil and her brother Daniel died of cancer within two days of each other. But just four months later, she returned with "The Show Must Go On". In the summer, she will embark on a major stadium tour through Europe.

Céline Dion was married to René Angélil for 21 years, until his death in 2016.

Céline - when this name lights up in glistening letters on the edge of the Las Vegas Strip, everyone knows who is meant: Céline Dion. The Canadian has already played over 1,000 shows in the city of sin and is the most profitable show act since Elvis Presley. Dion has long since secured her status as a music legend, but it was a hard road to get there.

Dion grew up with 13 siblings in modest circumstances and music was a big part of the family. At the age of twelve, she was given a song as a gift: her mother and brother Jacques had written "Ce n'était qu'un rêve" for her and sent the finished product to music manager René Angélil, whose name they discovered on the back of an album. He was so touched that he decided to make Céline a star. He even took out a loan to finance the first two albums. Dion became a star in French-speaking Canada and made it to the top of the local charts.

"I want to be as big a star as him one day," said the then 18-year-old Céline Dion to her manager when she saw Michael Jackson perform on television. Angélil was aware that he would have to send his protégé to English lessons and give her a makeover if she was to have a big career: nicer teeth, a new hairstyle. A year later, in 1987, René Angélil and Céline Dion became a couple. But they kept their love to themselves for the time being, as the big age difference - she 19, he 45 - could put people off. "He was the one who always believed in me," says Dion looking back.

At the Eurovision Song Contest, she felt like a horse

Triumph in 1988: Céline Dion won the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin for Switzerland with the song "Ne partez pas sans moi". This was Céline Dion's second ESC title for Switzerland after Lys Assia.

Céline Dion had not yet made her international breakthrough, but she took another big step in 1988 when she won the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland in Dublin, Ireland. "I was in Canada, I'm Canadian and was asked on the phone if I would like to represent Switzerland in Ireland. Pretty strange!" she told the British "Jonathan Ross Show" in 2013. "I just hoped that the Swiss would like me if a foreigner was competing for them." The song "Ne partez pas sans moi" was composed by Nella Martinetti and Atilla Şereftuğ, and the scoring was probably the most exciting decision of all time.

Up until the last vote, Great Britain was still five points ahead of Switzerland. But Yugoslavia gave six points to Switzerland and none to Great Britain's Scott Fitzgerald. The British commentator couldn't believe it, Switzerland pulled off a photo finish. "I felt like a horse at the time," says Céline looking back. "You could bet on the participants like you would on racehorses. And René - a gambler - put a lot of money on me. So I had to win." But she didn't just win for him: "The Swiss were very happy and gave me lots of chocolate."

Dion's first English-language album "Unison" was released in 1990, and in 1992 she made her big breakthrough with the title soundtrack to the Disney film "Beauty and the Beast". The duet with Peabo Bryson not only brought her worldwide fame, but also an Oscar and a Grammy. In 1994, Céline Dion and René Angelil married in Montreal; the ceremony was broadcast live on Canadian television. Between 1992 and 1996, she recorded six albums and won the Grammy for "Falling Into You" as "Album of the Year" and "Best Pop Album".

Dion undoubtedly had the song of her career with the title soundtrack of "Titanic": "My Heart Will Go On". "I will die with this song," she said on a talk show. "But please: don't play it when I'm dead!" She originally never wanted to sing the song at all; after the success of "Beauty and the Beast", she didn't think she wanted to do another soundtrack. But after a few attempts at persuasion, she recorded a demo version - which then became the real single. "I never sang the song again. Except, of course, about a million times at my concerts."

In Las Vegas, for example: She has been a regular in her own resident show here since 2003. The Colosseum in the Caesars Palace hotel was converted especially for her. Her first show "A New Day ..." started there and ran for four years. Her current show "Céline", which premiered in 2011, is contractually scheduled to run until 2019, meaning that Céline Dion will have performed in Vegas for a total of 13 years. Convenient for her: Together with her husband and children, twins Nelson and Eddy (both 7) and René-Charles (16), she has settled in Vegas permanently.

Double tragedy in two days

Fighter: Céline Dion sings "The Show Must Go On" at the Billboard Awards 2016 after the death of her husband.

Her husband was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer for the second time in 2013; he had already been diagnosed with the disease in 1998. In order to take better care of his health and the family, Dion took an indefinite leave of absence in August 2014. "The worst thing was seeing him suffer," she says in retrospect in an interview with American broadcaster ABC. The singer took a year off and also canceled her planned tour of Asia. Her first appearances in Vegas followed in August 2015. "René respected the fact that I wanted to take care of him and the family during this time. But he never wanted me to leave the stage completely."

Around four months after her Vegas comeback, the man who had been at Céline Dion's side for 33 years as her manager and 21 years as her husband died. He succumbed to cancer on January 24, 2016 at the age of 73. Two days later, on René Angélil's birthday, Céline's brother Daniel also passed away at the age of 59. "On his birthday, my husband took my brother in, he was too weak," says Dion. A difficult time for the mother of three: "You can never be prepared for something like this."

The singer explained her father's death to her twins Eddy and Nelson with a reference to the Disney film "Up". In it, an old man and his house fly off into the unknown with thousands of balloons. "Dad went up too. And that's a good thing," she explained. "You don't have to be afraid, not our whole house flew up, we're still living in it. But Dad went upstairs."

At her first appearance after her husband's death, she was combative

Proud: Céline Dion's son René-Charles presented her with the Billboard Icon Award.

Dion's first performance after this difficult time was courageous: she performed at the Billboard Music Awards in May 2016 and presented her latest song, a cover of Queen: "The Show Must Go On" - the title couldn't be more fitting. She performed the song emotionally and with a lot of power, but the emotions only really came to the fore when Dion was presented with the Billboard Icon Award.

Seal gave the laudatory speech, but the award was presented by Dion's older son René-Charles, who was 15 years old at the time. Dion burst into tears. "Sorry for crying," she said. "I want to be strong for my family and my children. But I didn't expect anything like this." She dedicated the victory to her late husband. She concluded her acceptance speech with the words: "The show must go on".

Not only in Las Vegas: This summer, Céline Dion is touring Europe, visiting the cities and countries she hasn't visited since her "Taking Chances" tour in 2008. Including Switzerland with her concert at the Stade de Suisse in Bern. The show really does go on.

CÉLINE DION
Sat 15.7.17, Stade de Suisse Bern
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