Her heart is broken: Titanic singer Celine Dion mourns death of husband

Titanic singer Celine Dion’s husband and manager, Rene Angelil, who moulded her from a French-speaking prodigy into one of the world’s most successful singers, has died. The 73-year-old died from throat cancer in the suburban Las Vegas home in Henderson he shared with Dion and their three children. A post on Dion’s Facebook page said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce that René Angélil, aged 73, died this morning at her residence in Las Vegas after a long and courageous fight against cancer." News of his death triggered an outpouring of sympathy from Dion’s fans online, while Justin Trudeau, prime minister in her native Canada, tweeted his condolences.

I’ll say, ‘You’re scared? I understand. Talk to me about it,’. And Rene says to me, 'I want to die in your arms.’ OK, fine, I’ll be there, you’ll die in my arms.

Celine Dion talks about her husband’s battle with cancer

The couple first met when a 12-year-old Dion recorded a demo tape with her mother and sent it to Angelil. He was so struck by her voice that he signed her to an exclusive management contract – mortgaging his house to finance her debut album. "I’d never heard anything like it. For me, it was the most beautiful voice in the world,” he would recall in interviews. She went on to become one of pop’s music’s best-known voices, winning the Eurovision song contest for Switzerland and five Grammy awards,  including for the Titanic theme song My Heart Will Go On. They married In 1994, when she was 19 and he was 45. Angelil, who had three children from a previous marriage, was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 and stood down as her manager a year later.

My heart and so many prayers go out to the sweet @celinedion She has the biggest heart that I’m sure is broken

LeAnn Rimes