Tragic Details About Celine Dion's Oldest Son René-Charles Angélil

Celine Dion is a woman with many incredible accomplishments tied to her career. From winning Grammys and an Oscar, you would think these would top the list when it comes to all her achievements. The reality is that none of the awards matter to Dion, whose true prize is her kids.

Over the years, Dion has welcomed three sons into her life — René-Charles, Nelson, and Eddy Angélil. The three of them mean everything to her. She even told People in 2007, "You know, I'm not really a singer. My life is to be a mom. It is what I enjoy the most. It is my most amazing reward. I will take a chance with my music. I don't take risks with my family."

Nelson and Eddy are still relatively young, but René-Charles is a full-grown adult who has lived a lot of life. He was born in 2001 and was named after his father, René Angélil. Being the son of one of the greatest singers to ever grace the stage could come with some benefits, but it hasn't always been an easy road for René-Charles. From the criticism for simply being Dion's son to having to deal with his mother's sudden diagnosis, René-Charles' life has been filled with nothing but tragic situations.

Tragedy struck Celine Dion and her children when René Angélil passed away. A rep confirmed the news in a statement (via Billboard), sharing, "Rene Angelil, 73, passed away this morning at his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer. The family requests that their privacy be respected at the moment." Angélil died due to throat cancer, and one of the worst parts about his death was that it was days before his eldest son, René-Charles Angélil's, birthday.

René tragically passed away on January 14, 2016; René-Charles was born on January 25, 2001. So, instead of gearing up to celebrate his birthday, René-Charles had to prepare for a funeral. The eldest son of the couple wound up giving a heartbreaking eulogy at the funeral. René-Charles shared (via People), "Fifteen years is not a long time for a son to get to know his father ... You left me now with enough good memories of you to share with my younger brothers." René-Charles expressed that he would take on that fatherly figure for his twin brothers, Nelson and Eddy. He shared, "As they grow older, without you being around, I'll make sure to pass on what I've learned from you. You are a tough act to follow, but with your help, everything's gonna be fine. Dad, I promise you here that we're all going to live up to your standards."

There's no debate that Celine Dion is a musical prodigy. So, when she had kids, many wondered whether some of her skills would rub off on them. Turns out, her eldest son, René-Charles Angélil, has dabbled in some music.

In 2018, Angélil released two songs on his now-deleted SoundCloud account. The R&B and rap tracks were pretty successful on the music streaming platform, reaching No. 1 and No. 2 on their R&B & Soul New & Hot chart. Angélil did this without his mother's help; in fact, his mother didn't even know that he was working on or releasing any music.

Angélil revealed to The Montreal Gazette that he felt he couldn't tell his mom about his newfound passions because of the pressures of being her son. He shared, "It's kind of messed up, honestly. I played it to her for the first time [Wednesday]. I just felt like keeping it on the low. But she loved it." Angélil is not oblivious that he could have gotten help from his mom, but that's not what he wanted. He shared, "I wanted to prove to myself that I'm able to do it. Not just because my mom is who my mom is." But even with the work he has put in, Angélil has still received backlash just for being Dion's son.

Being a nepo baby isn't all it's cracked up to be. It can be hard to fill the shoes of a famous parent, and René-Charles Angélil knows a thing or two about this. Just because he's Celine Dion's son, Angélil has had to face constant criticism from people he doesn't even know.

One look at Angélil's Instagram, which is under his stage name, and you will see that there are countless ruthless comments on his posts. One person wrote, "What do you actually do? Do you have a special real talent or you're going to be always in your mom's shadow?!" Another user implied that Angélil is living the life he is because of his famous mother. They wrote, "Big looser Flexing with mummys money." These are just a couple of the many comments, or should we say criticism, directed at Angélil just because his mom is Dion. What makes this backlash even worse is that it hasn't just come from random people on the internet, but from media outlets as well.

In 2018, Vice published a piece taking jabs at Angélil's music. Being that his mom is an incredible musician herself, the outlet doubted his ability to follow in her footsteps. They wrote, "Your mom is freaking Céline Dion, dude. Don't embarrass her." Perhaps all the criticism is why Angélil decided to take a step back from his music, as it can't be easy to constantly face the hate.

In December 2022, Celine Dion shared in a heart-wrenching Instagram video the sad news that she had to take a step back from performing because she was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome. She told her followers that the diagnosis caused her to have sudden spasms. She explained, "Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I'm used to."

As Dion has dealt with this scary situation, her son, René-Charles Angélil has been by her side. When the "My Heart Will Go On" singer made a rare appearance at the 2024 Grammys, Angélil helped guide her on stage. While the two put on a brave face, Dion revealed that her sons are terrified of what will happen in the future as she faces this rare health condition.

The musician told Australia's "Sunrise" show, "My kids are scared because they lost their dad. They're wondering if I'm going to die." It can't be easy for Angélil and his brothers to watch their mom struggle with this rare condition as the situation has been terrifying for the entire family.