René Angélil, singer Celine Dion’s husband, died in his home Thursday morning at age 73 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
“René Angélil, 73, passed away this morning as his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer,” Angélil’s rep said in a statement.
“The family requests that their privacy be respected at the moment; more details will be provided at a later time.”
WATCH: René Angélil, husband of singer Celine Dion, died at their Las Vegas home at the age of 73 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Global’s Sarah Volstad reports.
Dion posted this to her official Facebook page:
Angélil was Dion’s manager, mentor and singing coach since she was a teenager. The couple has three children together —René-Charles, 14, and five-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy.
He also has three adult children from a previous relationship: Anne-Marie, Patrick and Jean-Pierre.
READ MORE: Remembering René Angélil: tributes pour in on social media
Many prominent Canadians are expressing their condolences for the entertainment manager, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The mayor of Montreal also took to Twitter to announce that the flags at City Hall would fly at half mast on Friday to honour Angélil.
In November, Dion revealed that Angélil had been on a feeding tube for two years due to his throat cancer.
READ MORE: Celine Dion prepares for last holiday season with husband René Angélil
Dion cancelled her Las Vegas shows in 2014 in order to take care of Angélil, but returned to the stage in August 2015 at his insistence. Angélil stepped down as her manager after a tumour was removed from his throat.
“I’m amazed of him even more than ever before,” she said to Good Morning America. “I was in love with him the first day, and today I find the strength, and I look at him and I learn so much from him. Getting back on the stage and performing for our fans has helped me deal with balancing those current struggles at home.”
READ MORE: Celine Dion on her husband: he hopes to “die in my arms”
Dion, who calls Angélil “the only man of my life,” has told multiple sources that when the end came, he wanted to die in her arms.
Dion still has an ongoing concert residency in Las Vegas, which is set to run until 2019.
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