Celine Dion asked her husband for his "trust" that she would have the strength to carry on after he died.
The 48-year-old star’s husband, René Angélil, sadly lost his battle with cancer on January 14 and was worried about the future of his wife and their children, Rene-Charles, 15, and twin boys Nelson and Eddy, five, without him there to to support them.
Recalling their last conversation by his bedside, she said: "You were worrying for my career. You were worrying for the children. You were worrying for everything. It’s enough. Do you trust me? Please do. Trust me. The kids are fine. I’m fine. I promise you we’re gonna be OK. Please leave in peace. I don’t want you to worry."
The ‘My Heart Will Go On’ singer explained to her kids their dad was leaving them and going up to heaven and asked them to remember the animated children’s movie ‘Up’, which features the story of childhood sweethearts Carl and Ellie Fredricksen.
Ellie gets sick and passes away in her old age but Carl goes on to follow their life-long dream of visiting the beautiful Paradise Falls and travels there in his flying house, which is attached to hundreds of balloons.
During an emotional interview on ‘Good Morning America,’ she explained: "Before I told them that their dad was not there, I talked about when we, everybody, gets sick. Then I said, ‘Do you remember the movie Up?.’ It’s one of our favourites. ‘Oh,’ they said, ‘Yes, Ellie went up. You know, she, with the balloons.’ And I said, ‘Well, yeah … You know, today Papa went up.’ "
Throughout her 73-year-old spouse’s battle with cancer, Celine did her best to be honest and upfront with her kids about just how sick he was.
"[I said] ‘Papa was very sick. He didn’t have a sore throat. He did not have a bellyache. He did not have an earache. Do you remember Papa had a tube in his belly? Do you have a tube in your belly? Do you? I don’t. That’s really, really, really, really, really sick."
After his death, the family held a special private ceremony during which they released balloons and "pixie dust" into the sky and Celine asked her sons to tell their father: "Papa, we love you. Have a good ‘Up’, and we’re gonna spread this, and it’s gonna go to [you]."
Celine Dion: I asked René to trust I would be OK
