Celine Dion is making headlines once again – except that this time around, it’s not for her music, but rather for an old picture with her now-late husband, talent manager and music producer René Angélil. This is because the image is from more than four decades ago, from 1982, when the singer was only 14, while the record producer was around 40 years old.
Brought back by @timecaptales on X, the image showed Dion seated across from her Angélil, who would go on to become her husband around 12 years in the future. But the two were not involved in a romantic relationship at the time of the photo, and were only working together professionally, since he decided to manage her career after witnessing her angelic voice.
14-year-old Celine Dion sits across from future husband, 39-year-old Rene Angélil in 1982 pic.twitter.com/vFRhEG7dRT
However, fans are finding this photo upsetting for one too many reasons. For one, they are calling it the perfect example of grooming while citing their 26-year-old age difference and their marriage down the line to emphasize their point, which, arguably enough, is actually more than enough of a reason to find that old image uncomfortable.
Fans Are Finding Celine Dion’s Old Image With René Angélil Unsettling
After looking at the image of Celine Dion with René Angélil from 1982, fans can’t help but address the issue of why their involvement so back down the line is so unsettling. On X, some of them are pointing out that the late music producer was probably the only person that the singer was with her entire life, meaning she never got to date someone else, not even a peer.
Pulling up this uncomfortable topic on the social media platform, here’s how the fans are discussing it and what they have to say:
We really need to have some uncomfortable conversations about what grooming is… https://t.co/i7FBTpgTSv
I mean I feel bad for her nobody wants to think their “fairy tale love story” was based in exploitation she’s way too invested emotionally her whole life to see it any other way
I think he was the only person she was with her entire life so she NEVER got to date a peer and that’s really YIKES to me!
Yeah, it was always ick to me too. Even though they eventually married, it still gave me the ewwies.
I dislike how “no one” saw these girls(Celine, Amanda etc.) get groomed. Didn’t their parents find it weird that old men are interested in their daughters , like why would you force your kid to sit around grown men 🤢🥴
She was absolutely groomed and her parents allowed it right in front of them .
And so many OLDER MEN — agree with this and wish they could marry a 16 yr old as well .
She says that she never kisses anyone on the mouth since her husband passed away.
I am sure that she will block out anything about grooming and that’s how effective grooming is.
She was ABSOLUTELY groomed and her family looked the other way!
Judging from these comments, it’s evident that fans continue to hold these concerns even though both Dion and Angélil tied the knot later down the line. And, looking at it from their perspective, their unsettled reactions and worries don’t really seem all that wrong, either. Plus, this debate looks like it will take some time to settle down (see similar discussions on Reddit).
How Celine Dion Met René Angélil: Their Relationship History Unpacked
Celine Dion first met René Angélil back in 1980. This was when one of her brothers found his name on the back of Ginette Reno’s album and sent him the recording of Ce n’était qu’un rêve, the Grammy-winner’s first original song that she recorded with the help of her mother, Thérèse.
The manager, then 38, invited the 12-year-old Dion to audition for him in person. As she later shared about their meeting with PEOPLE,
While I was singing he started to cry. I knew then I had done a good job.
Soon after, Angélil dedicated his all to make the rising star’s talent be recognized. He mortgaged his home to fund her debut album La voix du bon Dieu, which proved to be a quick success in Québec. That marked the start of their professional relationship as a singer and her record manager.
Seven years into their professional relationship, Dion and Angélil reportedly went on their first official date when she was 19, despite the 26-year age gap between them – although later on, she admitted that their relationship had taken a romantic turn a year or so earlier.
While the couple decided to initially keep it cool and their relationship out of the spotlight, Dion later told PEOPLE in 2016, “I was living that love secretly. When I was at the age to be able to say to people … It was like bang! Love! Love always wins.” But that’s not all.
In her memoir, Céline Dion: My Story, My Dream, she confessed to pining for her manager in secret, even revealing that in 1988, after winning a singing competition, she and Angélil spent the night together. She wrote (via PEOPLE),
I threw myself into his arms. Later that night, I was seated at the head of the bed, legs folded under the covers. I was happy about being alone with the man I loved.
Three years later, in 1991, the couple got engaged after Angélil proposed, but continued to keep their love a secret. Then, in 1993, they finally went public with their relationship, with Dion revealing their romance in the liner notes of 1993’s The Colour of My Love.
A year later, the two tied the knot on December 17, 1994, in a lavish ceremony at the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal. What’s worth noting, though, is that this was the first marriage for Dion and the third for Angélil, who had previously been married to Denyse Duquette from 1966 to 1972, and to singer Anne Renée from 1974 to 1985.
Fast forward five years later, in 1999, Angélil was diagnosed with throat cancer, and Dion took a two-year hiatus to focus on her husband. The following year, they renewed their vows in an Arabian Nights-themed ceremony in Las Vegas in celebration of Angélil being declared cancer-free.
In 2000 itself, the Grammy-winner also got pregnant with the pair’s first child, René-Charles, whom they welcomed on January 25, 2001, following fertility treatments. In the years that followed, Dion underwent several rounds of IVF treatments in an effort to further expand her family.
In May 2010, the good news was finally announced: The pair was expecting twins. Within a few months, on October 23, 2010, Céline Dion and René Angélil welcomed twins Nelson and Eddy, who were born via cesarean section in Florida.
However, life wasn’t done giving this couple tragic surprises. In 2014, Angélil was diagnosed with cancer once again after having a tumor removed from his throat the past December. In the wake of the same, he stepped back from his longtime post as his wife’s manager, and Dion also stepped back from her career in order to focus on caring for Angélil, even canceling her tour.
Speaking to PEOPLE at the time, she said her husband’s illness had caused “a very difficult and stressful time,” adding,
I want to devote every ounce of my strength and energy to my husband’s healing, and to do so, it’s important for me to dedicate this time to him and to our children.
In fact, in an emotional interview that she had with PEOPLE, Dion admitted that she was “scared of losing him, because it’s bad,” but also went on to say that she has to “show myself, my husband and my kids that I’m strong and we’re okay.” She also shared that she promised to keep her husband’s last wish,
I’ll say, ‘You’re scared? I understand. Talk to me about it.’ And René says to me, ‘I want to die in your arms.’ Okay, fine, I’ll be there, you’ll die in my arms.
On January 14, 2016, René Angélil passed away, just two days before his 74th birthday. He was survived by Dion and their three children, René-Charles, Nelson, and Eddy, and also his children with his exes Duquette and Renée: son Patrick, daughter Anne-Marie, and son Jean-Pierre.
A little time after that, Celine Dion revealed that her husband was the only man she had ever kissed, before opening up about his death in 2017 at the Grammy Awards,
There’s days when I feel that it’s been three years, and there’s days that I feel it’s not happening. He’s always with me, and I know that he’s very proud that we’re back in the industry.
That same year, she confided to The Sun, “I think I will probably grieve for the rest of my life. I miss him a lot.” She has since gone on to honor him on his fifth death anniversary, and later shared in 2021 that dating wasn’t on her mind, but didn’t entirely rule out the possibility either.
Then, last year, in December, she once again honored him on what would have been their 30th wedding anniversary, penning down a heartfelt note for him on Instagram. She wrote of Angélil, “You still fill our hearts, every day. You are everything for us. We miss you so much. Happy 30th anniversary, mon amour!” (See full timeline on PEOPLE.)
Well, to sum it up, it can’t be denied that Celine Dion was actually truly, madly, crazy, deeply in love with René Angélil, having practically been around him with minimal contact with the normal world since she gained fame as a singer with his help. And acknowledging that, we can only imagine how heartbreaking his demise must have been for her.
Still, life goes on, and so must people. What do you think about this story? Do you, too, believe all those grooming allegations against Angélil, or are you more convinced that Dion fell in love with and chased after her now-late husband of her own will? Whatever your thoughts, opinions, and perspectives on this may be, make sure to let us know in the comments below.
