René Angélil facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
René Angélil
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Angélil in 2009
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| Born |
René Angélil
January 16, 1942 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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| Died | January 14, 2016 (aged 73) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
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| Resting place | Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery, Montréal |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1961–2016 |
| Spouse(s) |
Denyse Duquette
(m. 1966; div. 1972)Anne Renée
(m. 1974; div. 1985) |
| Children | 6 |
René Angélil was a Canadian music producer, talent manager, and singer. He was best known for managing the famous singer Celine Dion, who was also his wife. He helped many artists become successful.
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René Angélil's Early Life
René Angélil was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on January 16, 1942. His father was from Syria, and his mother was from Lebanon. René was the older of two children; he had a brother named André.
René went to high school at Collège Saint-Viateur. He also studied at Collège André-Grasset in Montreal.
René Angélil's Music Career
René Angélil started his music career in 1961 as a pop singer. He formed a pop rock group called Les Baronets with his friends Pierre Labelle and Jean Beaulne. The group had some popular songs in the 1960s. Many of their hits were French versions of English pop songs. For example, they sang "C'est fou, mais c'est tout," which was a translation of The Beatles' song "Hold Me Tight."
After Les Baronets broke up in 1972, René Angélil and his friend Guy Cloutier started managing other artists. They helped the careers of famous Quebec entertainers like René Simard and Ginette Reno.
How René Angélil Discovered Celine Dion
In 1981, René Angélil heard a demo tape from a young singer named Celine Dion. He was so impressed that he decided to become her manager. He even mortgaged his house to pay for her first album.
René continued to manage Celine Dion's career for many years. He helped her become one of the most famous singers in the world. He stepped down as her manager in June 2014 because he was battling cancer.
René Angélil's Personal Life
René Angélil was married three times and had six children.
His first marriage was to Denyse Duquette in 1966. They had a son named Patrick. They divorced in 1972.
In 1974, he married singer Anne Renée. They had two children, Jean-Pierre and Anne-Marie. This marriage ended in 1986. Anne-Marie later married singer Marc Dupré.
René Angélil and Celine Dion's Relationship
René Angélil and Celine Dion started a personal relationship in 1988. Celine was 20 years old at the time. They got married on December 17, 1994, in a beautiful ceremony in Montreal. The wedding was even shown live on Canadian television.
After René was diagnosed with cancer in 1999, they decided to have children using in-vitro fertilization. Their son, René-Charles Angélil, was born in 2001. In 2010, they welcomed twin boys, Eddy and Nelson. Eddy was named after Eddy Marnay, who produced Celine's first albums. Nelson was named after former South African president Nelson Mandela.
René and Celine were big fans of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team.
René Angélil's Later Life and Illness
René Angélil faced several health challenges. He had a heart attack in 1991. In 1999, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, but he recovered after treatment. He even appeared in a music video for the band Simple Plan to show support for cancer survivors.
In December 2013, René had surgery for throat cancer again. In June 2014, he stopped being Celine Dion's full-time manager to focus on his health. However, he still helped with important business decisions for her career.
In September 2015, Celine Dion shared that René's cancer had gotten worse. René Angélil passed away on January 14, 2016, just two days before his 74th birthday. He had a special "national funeral" service in Montreal and was buried at the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery.
After René's death, Celine Dion took over his management and production companies.
René Angélil's Legacy and Awards
René Angélil received many awards and honors for his work in the music industry:
- In 1987 and 1988, he won the Félix Award for Manager of the Year.
- In June 2009, he was given the National Order of Quebec.
- In July 2013, he received the Order of Canada. These are two of the highest honors in Canada.
- On January 22, 2016, flags were lowered to half-mast in Quebec and Montreal to honor him.
- On February 15, 2016, he was honored by the Grammy Award during their "In Memoriam" tribute.
- In 2021, an asteroid discovered in 2008 was named 241364 Reneangelil in his memory.
René Angélil in Other Media
- René Angélil was the fictional principal for the reality TV show Star Académie in 2009 and 2012.
- Actor Enrico Colantoni played René in a 2008 TV movie about Celine Dion called Céline.
- In the 2021 movie Aline, which was based on Celine Dion's life, the character representing René was played by Sylvain Marcel.
Images for kids
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Angélil in 2009
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Celine Dion and Angélil in 2012
See also
In Spanish: René Angélil para niños
