Celine Dion’s husband and brother passed away within a week of each other but the Queen of Power Ballads knew the show must go on. While performing her international hit “All By Myself” she triumphantly nailed the famously difficult F5 high note at the climax of the song, leaving nothing on the stage, but after that, she broke down crying.
Dion showed remarkable composure by getting through the most difficult part of the song, which is the climatic vocal part ending in “anymore”. The high F5 note at the end of this section which leads into the song’s outro is known as a particularly difficult note to nail. You can even see a compilation below which pits Dion’s F5 in the original recording with several other famous divas who also try their hand at the part, including Katy Perry.
As her manager, Angélil guided Dion to chart success in her early years as a French language artist. In 1988, their professional relationship turned romantic when Dion was aged 20. They kept their romance out of the public eye for five years, although they eventually went public in 1992. They subsequently got engaged on 30 March 1993 on Dion’s 25th birthday, before marrying the following year. Angélil continued managing Dion throughout her increasingly successful career in the following years, only stepping down from his role in 2014 following his cancer diagnosis.
“All by Myself” was originally written and recorded in 1975 by American singer-songwriter Eric Carmen, although the verse is based on Sergei Rachmaninoff’s 1900–1901 Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18. Carmen’s song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, but many listeners will probably most closely associate the song with Dion’s 1996 cover.
The Dion version of “All by Myself” was released as the third single from her fourth English language album Falling into You. The song peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of Dion’s biggest US hits, as well as remaining one of her most popular songs on streaming services to this day. Its lyrical theme of loneliness in old age and being estranged from friends and lovers no doubt made getting through the song extremely difficult for Dion while she was grieving.
If you would like to see more from Celine Dion, you can subscribe to her YouTube channel. You can also visit her official website for more information.
Celine Dion sobs on stage during heart-breaking rendition of All By Myself as she returns to Vegas residency and pays tribute to late husband Rene Angelil
An emotional Celine Dion cried on stage as she returned to her Las Vegas residency with a tribute to late husband Rene Angelil
The singer performed for the first time since her husband’s death last month, singing With One More Look At You/Watch Closely Now at her show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Tuesday, which she live streamed on her website.
Celine broke down as she talked about her love for her husband and manager, who died last month at the age of 73 after a long battle with cancer.
She also sobbed during a heart-breaking rendition of her track, All By Myself.
Heartbroken: Celine Dion sobbed while performing All By Myself for the first time since the death of her husband Rene Angelil, as she returned to her Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Tuesday
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Grieving: The star’s beloved husband and manager died on January 14
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The love of her life: Celine was married to Rene for 21 years and they have three children
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Striking a chord: The singer struggled to finish the song All By Myself
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Support: Celine went into the crowd to meet her fans and pose for pictures
The show began with a sweet montage of family photos and videos, before Celine launched into her first performance since Rene’s death.
After getting a standing ovation from the crowd, the 47-year-old teared up as she shared memories of her husband.
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Emotional: The singer also cried as she addressed the crowd to pay tribute to Rene
Celine Dion pays tearful tribute to late husband Rene
‘Through my life, I only had eyes for my husband, who sat out here night after night,’ she said.
‘People thought that I was looking at him actually, but I didn’t need to because every time I closed my eyes I felt Rene on stage with me.
‘Whether he was seated in his seat right there, in the balcony, backstage or at home with the kids, he’s always been onstage with me and nothing will ever change that,’ she said.
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Tribute: She sang With One More Look At You/Watch Closely Now
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Grief: The Canadian star wore a sparkling black dress with silver stars
‘Rene always surrounded me with the very best people possible. I trusted him so much that I never really had the chance to worry about anything. Now I guess, it is only a natural impulse to constantly question myself. ‘Would you let the kids play with these toys? Is this song too fast? Is this song too slow? Don’t talk too much?’ she said.
‘It is pretty amazing that since he’s physically no longer with me, he is even more present.’
And she talked about how her husband had guided her career and had always treated her as if they were still on a first date.
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Return to the stage: The singer was overcome with emotion after her performance
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Digging deep: Celine got a standing ovation as she was overcome with emotion
‘Rene was my very best critic,’ Celine said. ‘He never told me what I wanted to hear, he told me what I needed to hear.
You know, night after night on our way back home from the show, when he was so silent, I could sense that he was trying to know how to approach me without hurting my artistic feeling. But there were things that he had to tell me for my own growth,’ she said.
And she praised her husband’s loving and respectful nature.
‘Rene is the only man that I have known all my life. He always made me feel that we were on our first date,’ she said.
‘Never talking bluntly, and always impressing himself in a soft and gentle way.’
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On the screen: The singer shared an emotional picture of her and late husband Rene on the big screen
Grateful: The My Heart Will Go On singer thanked her fans for being there as she returned to her Vegas show
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Singing superstar: Celine looked stunning in her black gown with sparkling stars
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On the stage: The singer shared photos and home videos before her emotional performance
‘We were one and nothing has changed. We will always be one,’ she vowed.
‘You know, I might not hear his voice yet, but I talk to him, I think of him all the time. I feel, and I know he hears me, one way or another, I know he will give me a sign for his approval or not,’ she said.
‘And now, I can feel that he’s telling me to zip it – and start singing,’ she joked.
The show began with a photo montage of Rene as a child, young man and then home videos of him with Celine and their children: Rene-Charles, 15, and twins Eddy and Nelson, 5.
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Tribute: Celine told the crowd that she still talks to her late husband all the time
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Love story: ‘We were one and nothing has changed. We will always be one,’ she said
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Time’s up? The singer joked she could feel her husband telling her to ‘zip it’ and start singing again
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Costume change: Celine made a triumphant return to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
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Powerful voice: The singer belted out her hits during the popular stage show
He is seen kissing Celine’s hand, offering her a coat, and placing a loving hand on her pregnant belly. His voice is then heard saying ‘Thank you very much, have a great one tonight.’
The performance was Celine’s first since the death of her husband, but she previously spoke about him at a public memorial in Las Vegas earlier this month.
The show began with a photo of Rene and a quote from Celine, reading ‘I understood that my career was his masterpiece, his song, his symphony.
‘The idea of leaving it unfinished would have hurt him terribly. I realized that if he ever left us, I would have to continue without him, for him.’
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Memories: The show, which was live streamed on Celine’s website, began with a montage of family videos and photos. Above, Celine and Rene with sons Rene-Charles, Eddy and Nelson
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Family: Rene put a loving hand on Celine’s baby bump when she was pregnant with their twins, now five
True love: The singer said her husband always treated her as if they were on a ‘first date’
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Doting dad: The couple with their twins in another photo she shared during the montage
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World travelers: Celine and Rene beamed as they met South African icon Nelson Mandela