Rene Angelil will always be remembered as Celine Dion's adoring husband and manager.
But did you know he was in a boy band?
Or that he's a gambling pro?
Keep watching to find out more about Rene Angelil.
When Rene Angelil joined his school choir at the age of 9, few people probably guessed
he would turn into somewhat of a music mogul.
As young as he was, joining the choir was the first step he took toward what would later
become his career and lead him to the love of his life.
Most remember Angélil as a manager, but he didn't start out as one — he was a musician
first.
If you've heard of Les Baronets, it's probably because you fell in love with their French
version of the Beatles' hit song "Hold Me Tight" in the '60s.
Angélil was part of that trio.
Doing French covers of popular songs is what Les Baronets were famous for, and they were
good at it — "Hold Me Tight" raced to Number 1 on the local charts in 1964.
Despite some success over the years, the band members went their separate ways in 1972 after
some "friction" between them caused trouble, according to The Independent.
But Angélil didn't spend a lot of time crying into his pillow.
Instead, he went into the business of managing artists full time.
Lady luck smiled on Angelil for most of his life.
He was as good at putting on a poker face as he was at managing artists.
So much so that he qualified for several poker tournaments and tours.
Most people assume that in order to be a good poker player, you need to be cunning, but
The Independent reports that one of Angélil's former poker peers, Barry Greenstein, claimed
that Angélil was not your typical poker player.
Greenstein said,
"It's absurd to use a superlative like 'nicest' guy in poker, but René was exactly that."
Angélil's gambling skills even landed him a spot in 2005's World Series of Poker, and
he took part in the Mirage Poker Showdown in 2007, where luck was on his side once again,
according to Card Player.
Angélil didn't just gamble at the poker table.
He took some crazy chances in his career, too.
The biggest gamble he took may have been in 1980 when he heard a demo of Celine Dion singing.
He was so impressed that he decided to take a chance on her — he remortgaged his house
so he could pay for her debut album.
His gamble paid off — a Number 1 album on the Quebec music charts and 100,000 copies
sold later, Dion's debut album, "The Voice of the Good God," was worth every penny Angélil
risked and more.
To this day, Dion remains one of Angelil's greatest success stories, but she wasn't the
only artist he managed.
When Angélil met Dion, he had already been managing artists for several years.
One of those artists was Ginette Reno, also from Quebec.
Angélil had a knack for finding vocal powerhouses, and Reno went on to have great success as
well.
Not just anyone can put more than 40 albums out into the world, not to mention ones good
enough to receive numerous awards.
René Simard, who is still making music to this day, is another artist Angélil managed.
He started his career when he was a mere 10 years old and boasted 30 albums by the time
he turned 44, according to the CBC.
Clearly, Angélil had good instincts when it came to managing artists.
Angélil also gave some of his time to coaching artists who wanted to take a shot at making
it in the music industry.
In 2008, he took over as the director for the Quebec reality TV show "Star Académie"
— which is basically Quebec's version of "American Idol."
The show's host at the time, Julie Snyder, seemed thrilled that Angélil was joining
their ranks, telling the publication,
"This is really exciting because he loves to help up-and-coming artists."
Every love story starts with a first kiss, and Rene Angelil and Céline Dion pretty much
had that perfect fairytale only-happens-in-the-movies kind of kiss.
In an interview on "Larry King Live," Angélil recounted the events that led up to the moment
he first kissed Dion.
It was 1988, and they were in Dublin at the time for the Eurovision contest — which
Dion won.
"Lucky country for us."
“Yeah.”
"What did you say?"
"And uh, we, I didn't say much."
Angélil explained,
"[When] we kiss good night, [we'd] always kiss on the cheek."
But that night, he didn't turn his cheek for a kiss, and that was when, according to them,
"everything changed."
"I was in love a long time before then."
About three years later, they got engaged, and they finally tied the knot in 1994.
Their fairytale continued for more than two decades.
One of Hollywood's longest married couples, they celebrated 21 years together in December
2015, before Angélil passed away in January 2016.
According to Hello magazine,
"I'm not surprised that we married each other, because we have the same dreams.
We have the same goals.
We respect each other."
Angélil echoed this sentiment in an interview with the magazine, saying,
"I needed her.
And she needed someone like me.
We found each other and we never let go."
Angelil wasn't afraid to try his hand at different business ventures.
Even though the music industry was basically his playground, he worked in other industries
as well — most notably when he and Dion founded the fast food restaurant chain known
as Nickels.
Nickels was just the beginning.
There was also one very special restaurant in Montreal that Angélil was very fond of.
The famous Schwartz's deli in Montreal represented the time in his life when his career was just
getting started — he first visited it when he was still a member of Les Baronets.
Since he could afford it, he and Dion became co-owners of the restaurant, along with other
investors, in 2012, according to Global News.
Angélil seemed thrilled to have acquired the prestigious restaurant.
He said in a statement,
"I have so many great memories of being there with the guys, and with Celine and our families
throughout the years.
It's the most unique restaurant in the world and we're thrilled to be a part of it."
Angelil had to face his first throat cancer diagnosis in 1999, according to the Independent,
but after extensive treatment, he went into remission.
"The fact that I was sick made it even more real that it's time to stop, and enjoy each
other and our families."
His miraculous recovery is probably what made him decide to appear in a music video honoring
cancer survivors.
Despite usually operating behind the scenes, Angélil graced our screens for a few seconds
in 2008 when he appeared in Canadian rock band Simple Plan's music video for their hit
song "Save You."
The song, which was dedicated to cancer survivors, featured Angélil and others who were in remission
at the time.
Angélil had been cancer-free for nearly a decade at the time the video was shot.
Unfortunately, he didn't stay in remission.
In 2013, his throat cancer returned.
He shared the devastating news with his wife right before a show that December, according
to ABC News.
"He sat down, he said 'I have cancer again, the doctor just called me and I have cancer
again."
Despite his progressing illness, Angélil wanted Dion to start shows again, so she did
for a while.
She told Deborah Roberts from ABC News that she only returned to the stage because she
loved Angélil so much.
In the end, she decided to stay home to be there for him.
Dion had to feed him through a feeding tube because he could no longer swallow or speak
properly.
She told ABC News,
"He can't eat so I feed him.
He's got a feeding tube.
I have to feed him three times a day."
In an interview with USA Today, Dion opened up about Angelil's experience with cancer
and how hard it was on both of them.
She was taking care of him the best she could, saying that he was "fighting so hard."
She recalled a moment between her and Angélil during which she told him he could talk to
her about being scared.
When he told her his wish was to pass away in her arms, she assured him,
"OK, fine, I'll be there, you'll die in my arms."
Unfortunately, that's not exactly how things panned out for them.
Angélil passed away in his sleep, and the nurse caring for him called Dion the next
morning to let her know.
The singer rushed to his bedside to say her last goodbyes before he was taken away.
She told People magazine,
"I got on my knees and I kissed him.
It was the coldest thing I've ever experienced in my life, but it was amazing.
I said, 'Promise me not to worry.
I'm fine, the kids are great, we're gonna be okay.
It's enough suffering.
Just go in peace.'"
Angélil's love for Dion continued to show even after he was gone.
According to Hello magazine, he planned his own funeral so that she wouldn't have to deal
with it.
Angelil seemed to make the world a better place because of who he was as a human being.
Hello magazine reported that Dion and Angelil's oldest son, René-Charles, delivered a moving
eulogy to his father at the funeral.
He said,
"Fifteen years is not a long time for a son to get to know his father.
You had a busy life, but we were communicating through golf, hockey, poker, and smoked meat…
and a lot of other wonderful food, bonding more and more as time went by."
Rene-Charles ended his speech with a promise, saying,
"You are a tough act to follow, but with your help, everything's going to be fine.
Dad, I promise you here that we're all going to live up to your standards."
Tributes poured in from far and wide.
Trevor Payne, the founder of the Montreal Jubilation Choir, called Angelil "generous,
kind, and gifted," according to the CBC.
Payne had the honor of backing some of Dion's concerts and had experienced firsthand the
kindness Angélil and Dion exuded.
He shared,
"Backstage, out of the eye of the general public, they were the kindest, most down-to-earth
superstars that I've ever known in my entire career.
[...] Everyone was equal, everyone was important, and they went out of their way to drive that
home to everyone."
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