Céline Dion’s 3 Children: All About René-Charles, Nelson and Eddy

Céline Dion may be a superstar, but she considers her role as a mother her greatest “privilege”.

The “My Heart Will Go On” singer and her late husband, René Angélil, have three sons together: René-Charles, 23, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 13. Angélil died in 2016 of throat cancer, and in the years since, Dion and her sons continued to rely on each other for support.

In an interview with PEOPLE in 2007, Dion stated that she is “not really a singer” and that her “life is to be a mom” instead.

“That’s what I enjoy the most. It is my most wonderful award,” she explained. “I will take risks with my music. I’m not taking any chances with my family.”

The cutest photos of Celine Dion with children

She added about her eldest son René-Charles: “To be able to give my happiness to my son. I can’t get any better than that.”

After Angélia’s death, Dion was candid about her family’s grief and how they are doing.

“I feel extremely fortunate as a mother to have — that’s probably what I’m most proud of — prepared my children how to live … how to live with him without him,” Ellen DeGeneres said in October 2016.

She continued: “It is a part of our life and life has imposed it on us [Angélil] That was his destiny and I still feel extremely lucky that he gave me three magnificent children. Beautiful pieces of luggage.”

Denise Truscello/Getty

In May 2023, Dion’s sons served as “her light” when she had to cancel all her tours until April 2024 due to a diagnosis of Stiff Person Syndrome.

“Her main focus is always her sons and performing. She is the most selfless and caring person,” a source told PEOPLE. “Céline just loves her boys so much. They are amazing. They give her all the support and love she needs.”

Read on to learn more about Celine Dion’s three children.

René-Charles Angélil, 23

Celine Dion’s Instagram

René-Charles, named after his father, was born on January 25, 2001 in Loxahatchee, Florida, weighing 6 lbs., 8 oz. Dion and Angélil welcomed their first child together when she was 32 and he was 59 after a series of in vitro fertilization treatments.

Dion described her eldest son as a “prodigy of a child”. In May 2006, when René-Charles was 5 years old, she told PEOPLE how much she loved being his mom.

“He relaxes me by reading him stories, painting with his fingers, playing with Play-Doh. I think it’s hard for people to imagine that I can have a normal life, but I do – said the singer.

After nearly two decades of touring the world, Dion began her first residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, which ran from March 2003 to December 2007. The singer said she was looking for a more stable routine to embrace her role as a mother, she told PEOPLE : “I’m a full-time mom. That’s my priority. Then I go sing a few songs in the evening.”

Her son was in the audience at one particular performance. “That was the only time I felt sick before a show,” she said, adding, “my son will be there watching me as a performer, not as a mom reading bedtime stories.”

Growing up, René-Charles was involved in sports. Dion told PEOPLE in 2015 that her then 14-year-old son was “very athletically built” and loved to play golf and hockey.

A few years later, Dion was seen cheering and dancing in the stands at one of her son’s hockey games in Terrebonne, Quebec, while wearing a jersey with “Angélil” written on the back.

Todd Williamson/BBMAs2016/Getty

After his father’s death, René-Charles played an important role at Angélil’s funeral, delivering a heartfelt eulogy. Reflecting on the moment during an interview with PEOPLE, Dion recalled that her son wasn’t sure if he would be able to read it.

To encourage him to read the eulogy, she told him: “I just want you to know your dad and I always respected you. We respect your decision,’ ” before adding, “’This is the last time you can talk to your dad. RC, it’s not for me or the people, it’s for your dad. ‘ ”

Dion admired the strength her sons showed after their father’s death, especially René-Charles as the eldest of the three. Speaking with Extra in February 2017, she recalled what she had said to her first-born child shortly after Angélil died.

“I told him, ‘I don’t want you to ever feel pressured to be the head of the house, you have your dreams and he’s always with you in his heart and I’m here for you,'” Dion said.

Today, René-Charles has followed in his parents’ footsteps and continues his musical career. In May 2018, he released two songs on SoundCloud, which peaked at #1 and #2 on the platform’s R&B & Soul New & Hot chart.

Céline Dion wishes son René-Charles a happy 21st birthday with throwback photo: ‘We adore you’

René-Charles spoke with Montreal newspaper after the songs dropped and shared the moment he played the songs to his mom for the first time.

“I just felt I was keeping it low-key. But she loved it. At first she was just stunned, because she had never heard anything from me,” he said.

In January 2021, he released his EP titled Casino.5. Following the EP’s release, Dion celebrated her son on her Instagram Story, writing, “I’m so proud of my son. My love for him is so strong and it touches me deeply that one of his passions is also one of mine.”

Dion also expressed her love for her eldest son in a touching Instagram post on his 21st birthday. Along with a photo of Dion and Angélil cradling René-Charles as a newborn in the hospital, she wrote: “I made it as I watched you grow. Your intelligence, your generosity, your courage and your great sensitivity never cease to touch me.”

Nelson and Eddy Angélil, 13

Celine Dion’s Instagram

After six rounds of IVF and one miscarriage, Dion and Angélil announced the addition of their family in 2010. Angélil told PEOPLE the couple was “ecstatic” to be expecting twins.

He added: “Celine is just hoping for a healthy pregnancy. She was hoping for one child, and the news that we have two is a double blessing.”

Identical twins Eddy and Nelson were born on October 23, 2010 in West Palm Beach, Florida, weighing 5 lbs., 4 oz. and 5 lbs., 10 oz.

Eddy was named after producer Eddy Marnay, who produced Dion’s first five albums. Dion’s representative said at the time: “He was like a father to her. Eddy is a big influence on both Céline’s and René’s lives.”

Nelson, on the other hand, was named after Nelson Mandela, whom Dion once met on tour.

“Céline and René want their children to be inspired by their names, because they were so inspired by these men,” her rep added.

Even when they were infants, Dion could identify the distinct personalities of her twin sons.

“One is braver than the other. Nelson seems to have a bit of a stronger personality right now. He is the tougher of the two,” she said Hello! in November 2010. “They are fraternal twins, but they look very similar. Nelson was heavier at birth, but the doctor told us he would be the same in a week or two.”

Scott Brinegar/Disneyland Resort/Getty

Eddy and Nelson were only 5 years old when Angélil died. Dion broke the news to her youngest sons with the help of Disney Up. She waited a few days and then threw the twins a glitter and balloon party ahead of her late husband’s funeral. When explaining his death, she used the balloon analogy, telling them that Angélil “went up” and floated away on the balloons and would not return.

“I didn’t want to associate the transition with doctors and to be afraid of them. That’s the thing I’m most proud of,” she explained to PEOPLE.

In an interview with S. in April 2017 Sun, Dion opened up about how she and the twins coped with the loss. The singer said she was going to “organize” herself so she wouldn’t feel lonely, adding: “So I got myself a huge, huge, huge bed and I sleep with my twins. They comfort me a lot. I need them. I need them close.”

“When it’s time for them to say they want their room, their room is ready,” she said. “But we watch a lot of TV together. I’m discovering Disney.”

Stay faithful to her Up similarly, Dion, Eddy and Nelson had a sweet nighttime routine after Angélil’s death to stay close to him.

“We have a little ritual where we wish him good night with a little picture,” she told the magazine. “Then the children talk to him. And they write words, put them in balloons and we send the balloons into the sky.”

Céline Dion shares a rare photo with her sons as she celebrates Ukrainian moms on Mother’s Day

Before embarking on her Courage World Tour in September 2019, Dion opened up about her decision not to bring her three children on tour with her. During a Q&A session in April 2019, she explained, “My kids will be placed in Las Vegas. I’m going to go on a world tour, but back and forth — I’m going to come home as much as possible.”

“This will be the first time I’m not going on tour with my kids,” she said, adding that she ultimately believed the experience “will be good for” Eddy and Nelson because they are “mature” for their age.

“They’re 8 years old, but sometimes I feel like they’re already 14,” she said of her youngest sons. “They are very independent.”

When Eddy and Nelson turned 10 in October 2020, Dion wrote them a touching message on Instagram. She shared a throwback photo of the duo posing in fall leaves, followed by two frames recreating old photos of Eddy and Nelson posing in piles of leaves.

“Nelson and Eddy, you have brought so much joy, love and laughter into our lives every day for the past 10 years,” Dion wrote. “You make me, your big brother and your dad, who is surely watching over you, very proud. Happy birthday my beautiful boys! We love you very much.”

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Source: HIS Education