Pop star, 46, arrived at church clutching the hands of her
twin five-year-old sons
Dressed in an elegant full-sleeve dress and a black veil,
the star's pain was etched across her face
René Angélil died on January 14 at the age of 73
The couple's brave son René Charles, 14 - who turns 15 on
Monday, stood to pay touching tribute to his father
He laughed at his father's love of smoked meats, said he was
a 'tough act to follow' before ending 'Je T'aime Papa
Immediately after Celine's hit version of 'All the Way'
played to tears of much of the congregation
The funeral followed an emotional memorial for Angélil on
Thursday
Celine stood for hours personally greeting well-wishers at
that open casket service
Angélil was Celine's manager as well as a singer himself.
The couple's stature in Canada was reflected in the ceremony, which was
broadcast across the country and where flags have been hung at half-mast
Celine Dion led hundreds of mourners in an emotional final
farewell to her late husband René Angélil on Friday.
The heartbroken singer elegantly dressed in a black
full-sleeve dress and a long black veil managed to maintain her composure for
the touching ceremony remembering the showbiz manager at the Notre-Dame
Basilica in Old Montreal.
She was joined by her three children. Older son René
Charles, 14, escorted his elderly grandmother Thérèse, 88, into the service,
while Celine walked in gripping the hands of her twin five-year-old sons Nelson
and Eddy,
A huge number of well-wishers also gathered for the
'national funeral' service - filling the aisles of the church and the area
outside.
A national funeral is the closest a non-politician can get
to a state funeral in Canada and is in-part paid for by the government. The
couple are so popular in the province and the country at large that Angélil and
his grieving wife were offered the highest honor.
Also in attendance was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wife,
Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, and federal Heritage Minister Mélanie Jol.
The service was broadcast on giant screens outside the
Basilica - the church where the couple was married in December 1994 - and flags
across Quebec will remain at half-mast throughout the day.
Dion entered the service surrounded by family and placed a
rose touchingly on the casket while being comforted by her eldest child. There
also appeared to be a small pillow holding the couple's wedding bands.
Angélil's adult son Patrick paid tribute to him with a
eulogy in French and was followed by René Charles.
'He never missed a chance to tell us he loved us. Now, more
than ever, we realize how exceptional it was to have a father who never
hesitated to say those so precious words,' The Toronto Star translated.
Then his younger stepbrother took to the podium with a
supporting look from his superstar mother.
'Fifteen years is not a long time to get to know your
father. He had a busy life but we were getting to know each other through golf,
poker, smoked meat and other wonderful food. Bonding more and more as time went
by.'
'You left me now with enough good memories of you to share
with my younger brothers. As they grow older without you being around, I'll
make sure to pass on what I've learned from you.
You are a tough act to follow
but with our help everything is going to be fine. Dad, I promise you here that
we're all going to live up to your standards. Je t’aime Papa.'
Angélil died of throat cancer at the age of 73 on January
14, Celine, 46, was almost 26 years his junior.
The couple met when she was just 12-years-old when he became
her manager - with Angélil mortgaging his home to help her make her first
record.
They had a secret affair that began seven years later but
they didn't go public for another five in fear of criticism over their age gap.
They were married in a lavish wedding broadcast on Canadian
TV in December 1994. At first her mother wouldn't approve of the couple but
eventually came to accept him as her son-in-law while Celine referred to him as
'the only boyfriend I ever had'.
From early Friday morning, mourners gathered to pay their
respects at the Gothic Revival church in the heart of Montreal.
Many in attendance were fans of Dion's who wanted to show
their support and locals in the region where the couple are almost seen as
royalty.
'We really don't know them on a personal basis, but from
knowing them for all these years ... you see them and you follow them all your
life and it feels like it's your family," Jimena Valdez, a fan of Dion's
music visiting from Mexico, told Reuters.
'So this is a difficult time for them and you want to be
here for them ... in good times and bad times, like family.'
Dion arrived so the funeral could begin at 3.20pm - opening
with Dion's version of Trois Heures Vingt
The service was overseen by the archbishop of Montreal
Christian Lépine and Ibrahim M. Ibrahim, epoch of the Greek Melkite Catholic
Church in Canada was expected to join with Rev. Miguel Castellanos to lead
mass.
The funeral came after an emotional memorial service for
Angelil on Thursday. Dion was pictured clasping to her son for support as she
paid respects at the open casket and stood for seven hours thanking
well-wishers.
The star told People magazine that she was thankful to those
who have kept her family in their thoughts at this tragic time: 'The support
we've received has been such a blessing.'
Dion also paid homage to the man she credited for making her
career and being the love of her life in the memorial service's program.
'I understood that my career was in a way his masterpiece,
his song, his symphony. The idea of leaving it unfinished would have hurt him
terribly. I realized that if he ever left us, I would have to continue without
him, for him', she wrote.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, told the Montreal Gazette
Angélil was 'an ambassador for the city, an ambassador for culture
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