And it goes on. Celine Dion opened up about life after loss following her husband René Angélil’s death at age 73 this past January. The French-Canadian superstar detailed the mourning process and how she’s been bonding with her three sons — René-Charles, 15, and 5-year-old twin boys Nelson and Eddy — in a Good Morning America interview that aired on Wednesday, May 18.
“Every night, we kiss him good night,” Dion, 48, told ABC News’ Deborah Roberts. “Eddy starts. Two fingers, one finger. And he said, ‘I love you Papa, so much. Happy Easter. Happy Halloween. Happy Christmas. Happy ‘up,’ Papa. I love you so much. I miss you.'” (Dion explained in a preview that they were inspired by Disney-Pixar’s beloved animated hit from 2009, Up, and released balloons into the sky after Angélil passed away.)
“So Nelson goes, and he repeats almost the same thing, but he adds more stuff,” Dion continued of her other young twin. “And then I do the thing, too, and I [say], ‘Good night, my love.'”
Wednesday’s segment included footage from Angélil’s huge state memorial in Montreal on January 22, including René-Charles’ eulogy for his father. Dion also shared some other family snapshots, including a cute image of the four (Dion and her boys) resting together on a hammock.
“I miss him when he was well. I miss him the way that I knew him, without the sickness,” Dion said of her late love. “After a while, am I going to have signs all the time, or do I have to make decisions as a woman, as a mother, as an artist? You’re never ready for something like this to happen. Even though you expect it, when it hits you, you’re not prepared. It’s hard.”
Angélil — Dion’s longtime manager and husband of 21 years — died in the family’s home in Las Vegas following a long and brutal battle with throat cancer. Two days later, the superstar singer’s brother Daniel passed away from a similar type of cancer on what would have been Angélil’s 74th birthday. “I said to myself, ‘For his birthday, my husband came and got my brother,'” Dion told ABC News. “‘Because my brother was too weak to fly on his own.'”
Dion said that while her husband isn’t physically with her on this Earth, he’s still ingrained in her everyday life. “I live with him inside of me,” she said.
WATCH: @celinedion opens up for first time about her husband’s death in @ABC Exclusive: https://t.co/up35kTKJnA https://t.co/U780ogeDrH
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 18, 2016
Watch above.
