Tragic Details About Celine Dion’s Youngest Sons Nelson And Eddy
Celine Dion may be one of the biggest stars on the planet, but what many people don’t realize is that she’s also a mom of three — including twins Nelson Angélil and Eddy Angélil. And unlike some celebrity kids who practically have “nepo baby” stamped on their foreheads and bask in the spotlight, these two (along with Dion’s fan-favorite oldest son, René-Charles Angélil) have kept a much lower profile. Sure, growing up as Celine Dion’s kids comes with plenty of privilege, but that doesn’t mean their lives have been all glitz and glamour.
Dion takes immense pride in being a mother to her sons, even giving the twins meaningful names — Nelson, after Nelson Mandela, and Eddy, after French composer Eddy Marnay, who produced many of her albums. “They have very different personalities but both of them love to wake up first thing in the morning and go to their closet and decide what they will wear,” she said of the two in an interview with the Daily Mail. And while she seldom posts about them on social media, when she does, she makes it count. “Nelson and Eddy, you have been bringing so much joy, love and laughter into our lives every single day for the past 10 years,” Dion wrote on Instagram on their 10th birthday in 2020 (via ABC News). “You make me, your big brother and your Dad, who is for sure watching over you, so very proud.”
But despite their charmed upbringing, Dion’s rarely-seen twin sons (who look so grown up now) have faced their fair share of heartbreak. Here’s a look at the toughest moments in Nelson and Eddy’s young lives — plus exclusive insights from an expert on how they’re coping.
The brothers had to endure losing their father when they were just 5 years old
Nelson Angélil and Eddy Angélil barely had time to grasp the world before it threw them a gut-wrenching curveball — the loss of their father, René Angélil. Celine Dion’s longtime manager and husband of over two decades passed away in 2016 after years of dealing with throat cancer, leaving her with the impossible task of explaining death to two 5-year-olds. So, she turned to Disney.
“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 favorite. ‘Oh,’ they said, ‘Yes, Ellie went up.’ You know, she with the balloons. And I said, ‘Well, yeah… You know, today Papa went up,” she told ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts in an interview for “Good Morning America.” To make the moment more tangible, she brought them outside to release balloons, a symbolic send-off to soften the blow. “We’re gonna say, ‘Papa, we love you. Have a good up,'” she recalled. “And we’re gonna spread this, and it’s gonna go to him.”
Dion hasn’t shared much about how her sons coped afterward, but one thing’s for sure — she was determined to be their rock. According to her, it was what her husband would have wanted. “I really, really want to prove to my kids their mother is strong,” she shared with People four months after René’s death. “I lost the love of my life. I miss him a lot from when he was great but not when he was suffering. I cannot be selfish. You have to let people go. I feel at peace.” But a neuropsychologist told Nicki Swift it was likely harder for the twins to find solace.
