Celine Dion opens up on husband’s death, regrets he didn’t die in her arms

Celine Dion says she’s forcing herself to move on even though regret weighs heavy on her heart since the death of her husband.

 

In her first interview since René Angélil’s death four months ago, the French-Candadian superstar opened up on the loss of her husband of 21 years and the ending she wished the two could have shared.

“He wanted to die in my arms, I cannot live with a regret but this I do,” she told ABC News’ Deborah Roberts during Wednesday night’s “Nightline.”

 

“He did not die in my arms but I think he died in my heart,” she added.

The 48-year-old said she’s fighting to let go of the pain she suffers from not fulfilling Angelil’s wish to die wrapped in her arms.

“If I hold on to this, I wont move on. I have to give myself a reason to move on,” she explained.

The 73-year-old manager, who launched Dion’s superstar career, died Jan. 14 after a long battle with throat cancer .

Celine Dion's husband, Rene Angelil, dies of cancer at 73

It’s a tragedy which was followed two days later by the death of Dion’s brother, Daniel, who lost his battle to the same disease — on a date that happened to be her husband’s birthday.

 

“For his birthday, my husband came and got my brother, because my brother was too weak to fly on his own,” she said.

The “That’s the Way It Is” singer, who held back tears, acknowledged she’s in for a “long road” ahead but noted watching the father of her children suffer was harder.

Angélil left behind three kids with Dion — Rene-Charles,15, and twin five-year-old sons Eddy and Nelson — as well as three adult children from a previous relationship.

Dion said she turned to Pixar's tearjerker “Up” to explain the loss to her youngest children.

“Up is a good thing,” she said. “Up is uplifting.”

The emotional interview was filmed in February, when Dion returned to her Las Vegas residency and delived an emotional tribute to her husband. 

The award-winning crooner is expected to take the stage at Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards, where she’ll also cover “The Show Must Go On” by Queen and will receive the Icon award.