Celine Dion announced that she is taking an indefinite break from music “in order to focus 100 per cent of her attention” on her family.
The 46-year-old singer, whose husband Rene Angelil, 72, is recovering from an operation to remove a cancerous tumour in his throat, said in a statement posted on her official website, “I want to devote every ounce of my strength and energy to my husband’s healing and, to do so, it’s important for me to dedicate this time to him and to our children.
“I also want to apologise to all my fans everywhere, for inconveniencing them, and I thank them so much for their love and support.”
Dion, who has released 14 studio albums in French and a further 11 in English, is herself battling an illness that has caused her throat muscles to swell up, preventing her from performing since July 29, 2014.
The statement said,
“Since Rene’s surgery last December to remove a cancerous tumour, it’s been a very difficult and stressful time for the couple as they deal with the day-to-day challenges of fighting this disease while trying to juggle a very active show business schedule, and raise their three young children.
“Celine has also been fighting an illness that has caused inflammation in her throat muscles, and has not been able to perform any of her scheduled shows in Las Vegas since her last show on July 29. She has still not recovered from this condition.”
The singer was part way through a lengthy residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, which had recently been extended until 2019. All Las Vegas shows through to March 2015 have been cancelled, including her scheduled tour of Asia.
It would be recalled that Dion previously took a break from music from 2000-2002 when her husband was first diagnosed with cancer.
Angélil, Dion’s longtime manager, discovered Dion when she was 12 years old. They married in 1994, when Dion was 26, and have three children together, including twins born in 2010. In a press conference in July, Dion said that Angélil was doing “really well” despite having recently stepped down as her manager.
She said,
“He’s working really hard on his health … he’s really being disciplined, which is not an easy thing for him.”
Dion’s most recent album, Loved Me Back To Life, was released in November and debuted at No. 3 on the UK chart. Based on almost $12m (N1.9bn) in earnings from her 60 Las Vegas concerts, Billboard named her the 23rd-highest-paid musician of 2013. Reportedly worth $500m (N80bn), Celine Dion is one of the wealthiest female artistes in the world. Apart from the money she makes from music, she is also an entrepreneur and a promoter of some top brands in the world.
Dion’s businesses and brand endorsements
Les Productions Feeling Inc., also known as Feeling Inc. or just Feeling, is an artist management company based in Laval, Quebec, Canada and owned by Dion and her husband and manager, Rene Angelil.
Dion is also the founder of Nickels Restaurant food chain. Dion and her husband also own Le Mirage Golf Club and Schwartz’s Restaurant. In association with Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and Shaquille O’Neal, she also opened a popular night club in Caesars Palace in Los Angeles, USA.
Dion became an entrepreneur with the establishment of her franchise restaurant, Nickels, in 1990. She has since divested her interests in the chain and is no longer affiliated with Nickels as of 1997. In 2003, Dion signed a deal with Coty, Inc. to release Celine Dion Parfums. Her latest fragrance, Signature, was released in September 2011 with an advertising campaign by a New York agency. Since its inception, Celine Dion Parfums has grossed over $850m (N137bn) in retail sales.
In October 2004, Air Canada hired her as part of their promotional campaign to unveil new service products and an updated livery. You and I, the theme song sung by Dion, was written by advertising executives working for Air Canada.
Luxurious apartments and cars
Celine Dion owns many luxurious properties across America, though she has put some of them up for sale, including her gorgeous compound on Florida’s Jupiter Island for $72m (N12bn), according to The Wall Street Journal.
The home, which is jointly listed by Sotheby’s International Realty agents Joseph Montanaro and Cristina Condon, was custom-built and designed in 2010 by Celine Dion herself.
She and her manager husband Reneé Angélil bought the lot of land in 2005 for $12.5m (N2bn) and the adjacent mansion in 2008 for $7m (N1.1bn), The WSJ reports.
The five-and-a-half-acre property has views of the Atlantic Ocean, a four-bedroom guest house, a simulated golf range, pool house, and three separate pools.
The main residence alone measures close to 10,000 square feet, with five bedrooms and a custom-designed walk-in closet with automated rack for clothing and automated carousel for shoes.
Likewise, Dion listed her home on a private island in Quebec, Canada for $29.3m (N4.7bn), which is still on the market.
Apart from her Mercedes Benz S550, Celine Dion drives a Royal Royce Corniche designed by Bill Allen; the car has always been one of her proud assets. This convertible car sports ample engine power, luxury and comfort required by celebrities.
Dion also has a private jet in her garage: a Bombardier Global Express Jet, which matches her luxury expectations and needs of long distance travelling. Featured with luxurious cabins and air ambulance requirements, this jet is for celebrities who like to fly in style. This jet is also owned by Billionaires Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg. The plane can seat 10 passengers and can fly 6,170 nautical miles at the speed of 564 mph; this is sufficient enough to cover from one part of the globe to another without refuel.
Sources: celinedion.com, telegraph.co.uk, theguardian.com, businessinsider.com
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