When Celine Dion‘s husband René Angélil died in January after a lengthy battle with throat cancer, she faced another challenge aside from the grim task of moving on without him: telling their three children that their father had died.
For that arduous duty, Dion turned to Disney, specifically the animated movie Up.
READ MORE: Celine Dion reveals her last words to late husband René Angélil
Dion told People magazine that she waited a few days after Angélil’s passing before throwing five-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy Angélil a party, replete with glitter and balloons. The small fête took place before Angélil’s elaborate funeral in Montreal, so Dion could properly prepare the young boys for what was to come.
She revealed to the twins that “Papa” (what the family had called him) had “gone up” into the sky, floated away on balloons, and would not be coming back.
READ MORE: Mourners pay respects to René Angélil at visitation in Montreal
“I did not want to relate the passing to doctors and have them be afraid,” she said. She went on to say she’s “most proud” of herself and the boys for understanding the concept of death, and is thankful that Disney provided an avenue to help explain it.
Dion and Angélil also have an older son, 15-year-old son René-Charles.
“I see René in all three of them,” she said. “Not one moment do I feel like they’re looking for him and questioning.”
On Tuesday, Dion revealed her final words to Angélil and described her last moments with her husband of 21 years.
READ MORE: René Angélil funeral cost $700,000, Quebec paying $50,000 of the bill
“He said, ‘I wish you a great show, and I love you,'” she said.
Angélil was Dion’s manager, mentor and singing coach since she was a teenager.
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