Celine Dion cancels remaining Courage World Tour amid health issues
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Celine Dion’s Courage World Tour is ending early due to “severe and persistent muscle spasms,” that were hindering her ability to perform, according to a post published from her verified Instagram account on Saturday.
NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney lip-synching to a Céline Dion classic is perfection
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Ryan Blaney is a man of many talents: NASCAR driver, heavy metal screamer, aspiring Jedi, grizzly lumberjack beard grower. And now, thanks to one of racing’s best social media videos ever, he can add fabulous Céline Dion lip-syncing impersonator to his resume as well.
The 28-year-old Team Penske driver was shooting some NASCAR season promos Wednesday when apparently things turned musical. Blaney didn’t just walk through that open door; he blasted it open with the glamour and attitude of a show-stopping Broadway star — costume to match (almost).
Forget the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. Blaney already won it before it even started with his spectacular lip-synching performance to a clip of Dion’s It’s All Coming Back to Me Now. It’s only 13 seconds, but they’re 13 tremendous seconds that briefly transform a green-screen set into a Vegas stage.
An incredible song, of course — and one that’s probably impossible for most people on Earth sing well — but Blaney’s lip-synching version of it is near perfect. Sure, he seems to stumble a tad early on with the lyrics:
“There were nights of endless pleasure
It was more than all your laws allow”
But when “Baby, baby, baby” hits, that’s when Blaney really picks up steam.
He ditches his cape, tosses his glasses away with the gusto and pizzazz of an outraged movie star and grabs what looks like some kind of broom/microphone before adding, “When you touch me like this…” With his right hand holding the mic and left hand sassily on his hip, Blaney was ready for this dazzling moment, a thespian masquerading as a NASCAR driver.
The passionate emotions of the iconic song radiate from Blaney like a jolt of energy — or, in a much literal sense, like the highlighter shades on his Menards fire suit. His unwavering eye contact drags you in even closer.
With a performance like this, he makes you feel every word in the lyrics course through your veins — Céline accompanying him or not.
And he clearly feels it too, faux belting it out with all his might, as if it’s the finale reprise of a legendary show destined to be a fixture in musical theater circles, just minutes ahead of the final curtain call.
The NASCAR world has never seen a performance like this and may never again simply because it’s seemingly impossible to top. For that, we must say: Take a bow, Ryan Blaney. And thank you.
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Celine Dion met late husband René aged 12 – inside 21-year marriage
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Celine Dion and her late husband René Angélil were married for a whopping 21 years, with their friends describing their relationship as a ’love story.'
RELATED: Celine Dion’s $1.2m Vegas mansion where she’s recovering from health problems
The couple – who had a 26 year age gap – got married in 1994, renewed their vows in 2000 and welcomed three children, but René sadly lost his battle with cancer in 2016. Take a look back at Celine and René’s marriage…
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WATCH: 9 of the most stunning celebrity weddings
How did Celine and René meet?
The couple met when the My Heart Will Go On singer was just 12 years old and René, 38, became her manager. Celine opened up to People about her first meeting with her future husband, revealing that her incredible voice reduced him to tears. “While I was singing he started to cry,” she said. “I knew then I had done a good job.”
The two had a very close working relationship that eventually blossomed into a romance when Celine turned 19.
After keeping the relationship under wraps for several years, the singer revealed her love for René in the sleeve notes of her The Colour of My Love album.
MORE: Celine Dion honors late husband with heartbreaking message
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When did Celine and René get married?
Celine and Rene got married in 1994
Celine and René got engaged in 1991 and said ‘I do’ in the groom’s birthplace of Montreal, at the Notre-Dame Basilica in December 1994.
The singer looked striking in a silk dress by Mirella and Steve Gentile complete with a 20-foot train made up of lace and crystals that would have required 1000 hours of work, according to Vogue. She paired it with a statement tiara covered with Swarovski crystals.
A year later, Celine said: “I’m not surprised that we married each other, because we have the same dreams. We have the same goals. We respect each other.”
But this wasn’t their only marriage celebration – the couple also renewed their vows in an Orthodox ceremony at Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas in 2000 and Celine wore a beautiful golden dress.
The singer paid tribute to her late husband on the sixth anniversary of his death
However, René was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1999, and despite beating the disease in 2000, it came back in 2013. After having an operation to remove a tumour in his throat he was told that the illness was terminal in 2014. He passed away two years later on 14 January.
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To mark the sixth anniversary of his death, Celine shared a black and white picture of the music producer and wrote: “I would be lying if I said I’m fine, I think of you at least a hundred times, cause in the echo of my voice I hear your words just like you’re there.” She concluded: “I miss you – Céline xx.”
Do Celine and René have children?
The couple share three children
The pair share three children: René Charles and twins, Nelson and Eddy.
Celine previously revealed her journey to motherhood wasn’t easy, as she required fertility treatments and two operations to improve her chances of conceiving before welcoming her eldest child in January 2001.
Meanwhile, her twins, who were born in 2010, were conceived after six IVF attempts.
What has Celine Dion said about their relationship?
Celine’s husband Rene sadly passed away in 2016
Celine opened up about their relationship during an interview with CBS’s Mo Rocca as she celebrated her milestone 1000th performance in Las Vegas.
“Before he left, it was very, very difficult for all of us,” she said. “For me especially, and my children, to see the man of my life die a little bit more every day. And when he left, it was kind of a relief for me that the man that I love, the only man that I kissed, the only man that I loved.”
She continued: “Yeah. I never kissed another man in my life. So the man of my life was my partner, and we were one. So when he stopped suffering I said to myself, he’s ok. And he deserves not to suffer.”
Their friends also gushed about their relationship, with producer David Foster telling People magazine: “I’ve always said this since I met them in 1989, they were one of the greatest love stories ever, and I mean ever.”
“They had trust. The way she looked at him, the way he looked at her.
“There was an age difference, but as with all great couples, whatever the discrepancies are in age, it just sort of melts away as the months and years go by. They just became René and Celine.”
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Celine Dion’s crystal-studded wedding dress took 1000 hours to make
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Celine Dion’s crystal-studded wedding dress took 1000 hours to make The couple had two wedding ceremonies five years apart
Celine Dion recently shared a heartbreaking tribute to her husband of 21-years, René Angélil on the sixth anniversary of his death, admitting, “I think of you at least a hundred times” and, “I miss you.” Look back at the couple’s two weddings, including Celine’s intricate first wedding dress…
READ: Celine Dion met late husband René aged 12 – inside 21-year marriage
The Power of Love singer and her manager – who had a 26 year age gap – tied the knot on 17 December 1994, three years after their secret engagement. Celine and René said ‘I do’ in the groom’s birthplace of Montreal, at the Notre-Dame Basilica, and the bride’s dress was certainly eye-catching!
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WATCH: 10 of the most spectacular HELLO! exclusive weddings
In keeping with the regal surroundings, Celine opted for a silk princess-style dress by Mirella and Steve Gentile. It featured long sleeves, a fitted waist and a 20-foot train made up of lace and crystals that would have required 1000 hours of work, according to Vogue.
To keep her warm in the cool December weather, Celine added a white fluffy jacket over the top, but it was her accessories that have proven to be particularly memorable. The singer, who was 26 at the time, styled her hair in an elegant updo and wore a statement headdress covered with 2000 Swarovski crystals, which reportedly had to be sewn into her hair.
MORE: Celine Dion’s $1.2m Vegas mansion where she’s recovering from health problems
SEE: 22 celebrity proposals that are too romantic for words: Kourtney Kardashian, Katy Perry & more
Celine wore a princess-style dress by Mirella and Steve Gentile
Meanwhile, René looked smart in a black suit, cream waistcoat and white shirt.
It was just five years after their nuptials in 1999 when René was diagnosed with throat cancer. After he was given the all-clear in 2000, the couple renewed their wedding vows in an Orthodox ceremony at Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas.
The couple renewed their vows in 2000
Unlike her first wedding dress, Celine opted for a more glamorous outfit which included a sparkly gold off-the-shoulder dress with long sleeves and statement earrings to match.
Sadly, René’s cancer returned in 2013, and he was told that the illness was terminal in 2014. He passed away two years later on 14 January, leaving behind Celine and their three children René Charles, Nelson and Eddy.
READ: 9 of the Queen’s strictest royal wedding rules revealed
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Céline Dion Cancels North American Tour Dates Due to Health Ailment
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Céline Dion is taking more time off to concentrate on her health.
The 53-year-old pop star has canceled the entire North American leg of her Courage World Tour — which was to start on March 9 in Denver, Colorado, and end in Washington D.C. on April 22 — because she recently has been treated for “severe and persistent muscle spasms” and “her recovery from her ailment is taking longer than she hoped,” her team said in a statement posted on her website on Saturday, Jan. 15.
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“I was really hoping that I’d be good to go by now, but I suppose I just have to be more patient and follow the regimen that my doctors are prescribing,” Dion said. “There’s a lot of organizing and preparation that goes into our shows, and so we have to make decisions today which will affect the plans two months down the road. I’ll be so glad to get back to full health, as well as all of us getting past this pandemic, and I can’t wait to be back on stage again.”
Cline Dion’s Best Looks
The singer, who has sparked fans’ concerns over her health for months, added, “Meanwhile, I’ve been very touched by all the words of encouragement that everyone’s been sending to me on social media. I feel your love and support and it means the world to me.”
Dion’s team had revealed her ailment in October when they announced she had canceled the November opening of her new concert residency at the Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas, citing her “severe and persistent muscle spasms, which are preventing her from performing.”
The singer’s world tour was originally supposed to resume last summer but was postponed to this spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dion is still scheduled to begin the European leg on May 25 in Birmingham, England.