Celine Dion says husband Rene Angelil wants to die in her arms
Singer Celine Dion said during a heartbreaking interview with USA Today that her husband Rene Angelil wants to die in her arms.
Angelil, 73, has throat cancer and has been fed intravenously for two years. He lives in the family's Las Vegas home, though he spent time receiving treatment in Boston hospitals.
Still, Dion's family does not know when Angelil will die.
"We have asked (doctors) many times, how long does he have, three weeks, three months? Rene wants to know," she said. "But they say they don't know."
Dion, 47, said her husband has already planned the details of his death and funeral. "I'll say, 'You're scared? I understand. Talk to me about it,' " Dion told USA Today. "And René says to me, 'I want to die in your arms.' OK, fine, I'll be there, you'll die in my arms."
Dion said that her eldest son with Angelil, who she met at the age of 12 and married in 1994, has a hard time seeing his father in his ill state. But the couple's two 4-year-old twins, Nelson and Eddy, have no memory of their father as healthy, so they do not mind accompanying their mother to feed Angelil.
In spite of the massive heartache that comes with seeing the love of her life die, Dion is trying to power forward and return to the stage -- she said it's what Angelil wants of her.
She will return to Las Vegas to perform on Aug. 27. Her husband insisted that she return to the stage.
"When you see someone who is fighting so hard, it has a big impact on you," she says. "You have two choices. You look at your husband who's very sick and you can't help, and it kills you. Or you look at your husband that's sick and you say, 'I got you. I got it. I'm here. It's going to be just fine.'"
She said she's not sure if Angelil will be able to attend her show's debut Thursday, but if not, he will watch a live feed at home. She said she wants to show her husband that she can be strong for him.
