René Angélil, husband of Céline Dion, has passed away.
"René Angélil, 73, passed away this morning at his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer," his rep told People. "The family requests that their privacy be respected at the moment; more details will be provided at a later time."
Angélil, who has been Dion's manager since before they married in 1994, was diagnosed with throat cancer in December 2013. Dion recently took a year-long break from her Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace to help care for her husband.
"I didn't want to be here at first, I don't need it. Don't get me wrong, I love singing for people, but I have priorities," the 47-year-old singer said on her decision to return to Vegas, as HNGN previously reported. "But René really gave me a gift. All my grieving, it was during this last year. I think I've got this. For now. When it hits me, it's going to hit me. But my biggest job is to tell my husband, we're fine. I'll take care of our kids. You'll watch us from another spot."
"I'll say, 'You're scared? I understand. Talk to me about it,'" she continued. "And René says to me, 'I want to die in your arms.' OK, fine, I'll be there, you'll die in my arms."
When she returned to Vegas in August 2015, she put on an emotional show, which their three children convinced her to do.
"I'm trying really hard to show my children that sickness and things happen in life," she said at the time. "You cannot be crying and be depressed and consistently talk about, 'Oh my God.' Unfortunately there's a lot of people struggling with battles. When you have family around I think it helps tremendously."
"My love, we love you," she said to the crowd and her husband who was watching from a private room. "Lots of strength tonight. Promise me something. Just enjoy. Just enjoy. Just let it go. We love you."
