Celine Dion Always Puts Her 3 Sons First before Career — As the 14th Child Her Mom Didn’t Want Her at First

• Celine Dion was the 14th child of her mother, who did not want her at first.
• She lost her husband of 21 years to cancer after they built her career together.
• Even though the singer is career driven, her three children come first and have helped her heal from her husband's death.
• Her eldest son followed in her footsteps, and she has shown him full support.

Celine Dion has a distinct voice and is known for being technically skilled in the way she can create music across different genres.

The singer was born on March 30, 1968, in a small village in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada. Dion was the 14th child of her parents, Therese and Adhémar.

According to CNN, Dion's mother was not too happy about adding another child to the thirteen she already had, so she went to a priest and confessed that she did not want any more children.

The priest advised the mother of fourteen against her negative thoughts and told her, "You can't do that. You're such a good person; you can't do that."

Life was not easy for the Dion family; Adhémar worked as a butcher and made $165 a week to support his family of sixteen. Some months were more strenuous than others, and Adhémar would save ten cents by walking to work instead of taking a bus.

Dion had many fond memories of their family home. She remembers her mother warming her and her sister's socks in the oven, which always felt like a warm hug.

Since their family was musically gifted, there was always someone singing or playing an instrument. Dion reportedly started singing for her family when she was two years old, and by five, she had a gig at her brother's wedding.

Celine Dion and René Angélil's Love Story

Dion's career was flourishing when she was in high school, so she decided to leave school and focus on her singing. The singer went to France with her manager René Angélil.

Dion was only 17 and well-known in Canada and France, but Angélil had bigger plans to make her a globally appreciated superstar. However, as she and Angélil worked hard to build her career and succeeded, they also started falling in love with one another.

Dion's assistant, Mia Dumont, admitted that she suspected the singer would fall for her manager because he cared for her and made her feel safe.

In 1988, Dion performed at Eurovision in Dublin, Ireland, and was awarded the top prize. But the congratulatory hug and kiss she gave her manager that day was so special that Angélil gushed about it on "Larry King Live," saying, "on that night ... everything changed." Angélil had reportedly just divorced his second wife, so his connection with Dion felt extra memorable.

Eventually, the manager achieved his goal of bringing Dion to the States. The singer released her first English language debut album, "Unison" in America, in 1990, with four songs that topped the charts.

Dion had produced four love songs that captured the world, but the singer reportedly wrote them to express her love for her manager. The couple had kept their relationship a secret for five years, but this album became a reason for Dion to tell the world who she was in love with.

She left a note at the end of her album confessing, "René is my love; I can't keep this secret inside of me anymore. It's getting too powerful. Let me paint a truth and show you how I feel. René, you are the color of my love."

The negative response that Dion feared people would have about a 51-year-old manager dating a 25-year-old superstar never came because fans were more than happy for her.

On December 17, 1994, Dion and Angélil tied the knot, and crowds of fans filled the streets, hoping to get a look into the singer's special day.

Dion and Angélil had been trying to have children for five years until the singer decided to try in-vitro fertilization, and after eight months, she found out she was pregnant with their first child.

In January 2001, the couple welcomed their first son, René Charles. In 2010, Dion and Angélil welcomed their twin sons, Eddy and Nelson. The singer's representative announced that René Charles and his parents were delighted about the new additions to the family.

Celine Dion Faces Two Significant Deaths in Two Days

In 1999, Dion discovered her husband had been diagnosed with cancer. The singer took a break from her career and dedicated her life to caring for him.

Angélil underwent radiation therapy, and in 2000, the couple got the good news that he was in remission. However, he was later diagnosed with throat cancer again and lost his long battle with the disease in 2016 at 73 years old.

He left his three children with Dion, René-Charles, now 21, and 12-year-old twins, Nelson and Eddy, and his kids from previous marriages, Anne-Marie, Patrick, and Jean-Pierre.

The loss was difficult for Dion; she confessed that she was scared to lose her husband, but knew she needed to be strong for her children. She said her husband's dying wish was to die in her arms, and she made sure to fulfill it.

Two days after losing her love, Dion was faced with the sad news of the death of her brother, Daniel Dion, who also died from cancer. The singer's representative stated that Daniel died surrounded by his friends and family.

The "The Power of Love" hitmaker still keeps her husband close even after his passing. She revealed that before she performs, she shakes hands with a bronze replica of her husband's hand.

The singer said she still talks to her husband, and every day she tries her best to honor him and show him that she and the children are fine and well taken care of. The legacy they created together is something Dion will forever be appreciative of.

Celine Dion's Children Are Her Number One Priority

The heartbreak of losing Angélil is one that still haunts Dion. However, the singer said her children had been the biggest part of her healing process. Being the best mother she can be to her three children gave Dion a reason to get up and face the world daily. She confessed:

"Everything has changed in my life because of me being a mother."

Music helped Dion heal from the loss of her mother. The singer said her mother was musically gifted and wrote her first song, however after she took a break from music, it allowed her to immerse herself more into the role of motherhood.

Additionally, singing was number one on the list of the singer's priorities for a while, but no matter how much she loves her career, her children always come first.

Dion's eldest son has followed in her footsteps; however, the singer did not just hand out opportunities to him. René Charles confessed that although his mother has contact with several people in the music business, he wanted to prove to himself and his mother that he could build his career on his own.

René Charles did not tell his mother about his music until it hit the top of the Sound Cloud charts. He recalled playing the song to Dion and telling her that his song was number one on the charts, surprising his mother who asked why he kept it a secret. Regardless, René Charles said his mother loved his music and was supportive of his passion.