Rene Angelil will be laid to rest following a funeral on Friday. On Saturday his wife Celine Dion will return to work. She is scheduled to perform as part of her Caesar’s Palace residency in Las Vegas, and she plans to take the stage as scheduled.
“That’s what René would want. He wants her to perform and come back,” a source close to Celine Dion tells People magazine. “He knew her better than anybody and he probably knows that’s what she needs too, to perform.”
Rene Angelil planned his own funeral so that Celine Dion wouldn't have to. https://t.co/0BaZrVyG3j pic.twitter.com/ue1mIQyWYh
— EntertainmentTonight (@etnow) January 20, 2016
Rene Angelil died last Thursday at 73. Just days later, Celine Dion also lost her brother, Daniel Dion, to cancer.
The source adds that Rene Angelil had a feeding tube for most of the last year, adding that he had “good and bad days.”
“Some days he could get up and walk around the room, play with the kids. Some days he was too tired,” the source continued.
Confirmed: Celine Dion will not be singing at husband Rene Angelil's funeral. https://t.co/jGaBFc5kId pic.twitter.com/YYXyc1tN2N
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) January 19, 2016
Celine Dion is said to be “extremely heartbroken,” according to that same source.
The funeral for Rene Angelil will be held at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, where he and Celine Dion married 21 years ago.
Rene Angelil had one wish in his final weeks. He wanted to die in Celine Dion’s arms. While no one has indicated whether or not he received his dying wish, Dion and their children were at home with Rene Angelil when he passed away.
Funeral for Rene Angelil to Be Held Where He Wed Celine Dion, the "Great Love of His Life" https://t.co/0DLd0M1szN pic.twitter.com/aq0XkE5Pcb
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 16, 2016
It will no doubt be incredibly difficult for Celine Dion to return to the stage on Saturday night. Knowing it’s what her husband would want might help ease her pain, however–even if only for a bit.