‘Rene, this one’s for you. The show must go on,’ she said when accepting the ICON award.
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Celine Dion paid tribute to her late husband, former manager René Angélil, during Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards.
Dion was recipient of the ceremony’s ICON Award, which was given to her — in a surprise to Dion — by her son, Rene-Charles. Dion thanked her fans, family, children, and “most importantly, my beloved husband who I know will continue to watch over me from above.”
She ended by saying, “Rene, this one’s for you. The show must go on.”
The speech ended a powerful sequence from Dion, which began with the 48-year-old covering Queen’s “The Show Must Go On.”
Queen released the track in October 1991, just over a month before frontman Freddie Mercury died of complications from AIDS. Dion previously performed “The Show Must Go On” at her live shows, and released a version of the song she recorded with violinist Lindsey Stirling this past Friday.
Introduced by Seal, Dion performed in a sequin dress with Stirling and a full orchestra.
