Childhood and Education Journey of Celine Dion in Timeline
Discover the defining moments in the early life of Celine Dion. From birth to education, explore key events.
Céline Dion is a Canadian singer renowned as the "Queen of Power Ballads." Her technically skilled and powerful vocals, combined with her commercially successful recordings, have cemented her influence on popular music. She is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with record sales exceeding 200 million worldwide.
1923: Birth of Father, Adhémar Dion
In 1923, Adhémar Dion, Celine Dion's father, was born. He worked as a butcher and, along with his wife Thérèse, raised 14 children.
1927: Birth of Mother, Thérèse Tanguay
In 1927, Thérèse Tanguay, Celine Dion's mother, was born. She later married Adhémar Dion and raised 14 children, including Celine.
March 1968: Celine Dion Born
In March 1968, Céline Marie Claudette Dion was born in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada. She would later be referred to as the "Queen of Power Ballads" due to her technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works that had a significant impact on popular music.
1980: First Meeting with René Angélil
In 1980, Celine Dion, at the age of 12, first met René Angélil, her future husband and manager, after her brother sent him a demonstration recording.
1981: Funded First Record
In 1981, René Angélil mortgaged his home to fund Celine Dion's first record, La voix du bon Dieu. This investment marked a turning point in her career, launching her to stardom in Quebec.
1982: Promotion of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF)
Since 1982, Celine Dion has actively promoted the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF).
1985: Break from René Angélil
Around 1985, after the dissolution of René Angélil's second marriage, he and Celine Dion took a break from each other professionally.
1988: Romantic relationship with Rene Angelil
In 1988, After Celine Dion's win at the Eurovision Song Contest, her professional relationship with René Angélil eventually turned romantic.
1989: Vocal Training and Dental Surgery
In 1989, after injuring her voice during a concert, Celine Dion underwent vocal training with William Riley. That same year, she also underwent dental surgery to improve her appearance and was sent to the École Berlitz to improve her English.
1990: Establishment of Nickels franchise restaurant
In 1990, Celine Dion became an entrepreneur by establishing her franchise restaurant Nickels.
1991: Declined "English Artist of the Year" Award
In 1991, at the Félix Awards show, Celine Dion declined the "English Artist of the Year" award to assert that she was—and would always be—a French artist. This act was a response to criticism from her French fans who felt neglected.
1992: Tearful Interview with journalist Lise Payette
In 1992, Celine Dion nearly revealed her romance with René Angélil in a tearful interview with journalist Lise Payette.
March 1993: Engagement to René Angélil
On March 30, 1993, which was Celine Dion's 25th birthday, she and René Angélil became engaged, making their relationship public.
1993: National Celebrity Patron of the CCFF
In 1993, Celine Dion became the National Celebrity Patron of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF).
1993: Public Declaration of Love
In 1993, Celine Dion publicly announced her feelings for her manager, René Angélil, by declaring him "the colour of [her] love" in the dedication section of her album The Colour of My Love. This public declaration marked a shift in their relationship.
December 1994: Marriage to René Angélil
In December 1994, Celine Dion married René Angélil in an extravagant wedding ceremony that was broadcast live on Canadian television. This event formalized their relationship and was widely embraced by fans.
1994: Recalled Dream of Becoming a Singer
In 1994, during an interview with People, Celine Dion recalled her childhood dream of becoming a singer, expressing that she didn't regret losing her adolescence because of her dedication to achieving that dream.
1997: Divestment from Nickels restaurant chain
In 1997, Celine Dion divested her interests in the Nickels restaurant chain, ending her affiliation with the franchise.
January 2000: Renewal of Wedding Vows
On January 5, 2000, Celine Dion and René Angélil renewed their wedding vows in Las Vegas.
May 2000: Fertility operations
In May 2000, Celine Dion underwent two small operations at a fertility clinic in New York to improve her chances of conceiving.
2000: Autobiography My Story, My Dream
In Celine Dion's 2000 autobiography My Story, My Dream she spoke about her infatuation with René Angélil.
January 2001: Birth of Son, René-Charles Dion Angélil
On 25 January 2001, Celine Dion gave birth to her son, René-Charles Dion Angélil, in Florida, following fertility treatments, marking a significant personal event.
December 2001: Published Autobiography 'My Story, My Dream'
In December 2001, Celine Dion published her autobiography, 'My Story, My Dream', chronicling her rags-to-riches journey in the music industry.
March 2002: Release of 'A New Day Has Come'
In March 2002, Celine Dion released 'A New Day Has Come', marking her return to the music scene after a three-year sabbatical. The album focused on motherhood and maturation, debuting at No. 1 in multiple countries.
2002: Three-Year Residency at Caesars Palace Announced
In 2002, Celine Dion announced a three-year, 600-show contract to appear five nights a week in an entertainment extravaganza, A New Day..., at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. This move was generally seen as risky.
March 2003: A New Day... Show Premiered
On 25 March 2003, Celine Dion's show, A New Day..., premiered at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, a 4,000-seat arena designed for her show. The show was directed by Franco Dragone and choreographed by Mia Michaels and included music, dance, and visual effects.
2003: Purchase of Henderson, Nevada house
As of 2024, Celine Dion resides in a house in Henderson, Nevada, which was reportedly purchased for US$1.5 million in 2003 and as of 2024 was now closer to US$4.5 million in value after renovations.
2003: Support for "World Children's Day"
In 2003, Celine Dion joined other celebrities to support "World Children's Day", a global fundraising effort sponsored by McDonald's.
2003: Deal with Coty to release Celine Dion Parfums
In 2003, Celine Dion signed a deal with Coty to launch Celine Dion Parfums.
2003: Death of Father, Adhémar Dion
In 2003, Celine Dion's father, Adhémar Dion, passed away. He had a significant influence on her life and upbringing in a large family.
2004: Support for Tsunami victims and involvement with the Québec gay community
In 2004, Celine Dion held a fundraising event for the victims of the Asian tsunami. She and her husband René Angelil also began supporting the Québec gay community by supporting the publication of health and HIV prevention materials in Gay Globe Magazine.
2004: Release of 'Miracle'
In 2004, Celine Dion released 'Miracle', a multimedia project with photographer Anne Geddes, focusing on babies and motherhood. The album included lullabies and covers and received mixed reviews.
2005: Hurricane Katrina Criticism
In 2005, following the Hurricane Katrina disaster, Celine Dion criticized the US government's slow response in aiding the victims of the hurricane on Larry King Live.
2007: Payette wrote the song Je cherche l'ombre
Many years after Celine Dion's tearful 1992 interview with journalist Lise Payette, Payette penned the song "Je cherche l'ombre" for Dion's 2007 album D'elles.
2008: Donation to China Children & Teenagers' Fund after Sichuan earthquake
After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Celine Dion donated $100,000 to China Children & Teenagers' Fund.
2008: Honorary doctorate degree and Legion of Honour
In 2008, Celine Dion received an honorary doctorate degree in music from Université Laval and was presented with the Legion of Honour by former French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
2009: Donation to Millvina Dean fund
In 2009, Celine Dion joined Leonardo DiCaprio, James Cameron, and Kate Winslet in donating money to support the nursing home fees of Millvina Dean, the then-last living survivor of the sinking of the Titanic.
May 2010: Pregnancy Announcement
In May 2010, Celine Dion announced that she was 14 weeks pregnant with twins after a sixth treatment of in vitro fertilization.
October 2010: Birth of Twins
On October 23, 2010, Celine Dion gave birth to fraternal twins, Eddy and Nelson, by Caesarean section at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.
December 2010: Hello! Magazine Cover
Celine Dion appeared with her newborn sons on the cover of the December 9, 2010, issue of the Canadian edition of Hello! magazine.
December 2013: Husband's Tumor Removal
In December 2013, Celine Dion's husband, René Angélil, underwent the removal of a cancerous tumor.
August 2014: Postponement of Show Business Activities
On 13 August 2014, Celine Dion announced the indefinite postponement of all her show business activities due to her husband's worsening health.
January 2016: Death of Angélil
In January 2016, Angélil, Celine Dion's husband, passed away, leading to the song "Recovering" being written for her by Pink.
January 2016: Cancellation of Performances Due to Deaths
On 14 January 2016, Celine Dion cancelled the rest of the January performances due to her husband's and her brother's deaths from cancer.
March 2018: Hearing Irregularities and Surgical Procedure
On March 22, 2018, it was announced that Celine Dion had been dealing with hearing irregularities for the previous 12 to 18 months due to patulous Eustachian tube and would undergo a minimally invasive surgical procedure.
November 2018: Launch of Celinununu clothing line
In November 2018, Celine Dion launched a gender-neutral clothing line for kids, Celinununu.
2019: Sale of Montreal private island home
In 2019, Celine Dion sold her home on a private island in Montreal for US$25.5 million.
June 2020: Courage World Tour Postponement
On 10 June 2020, Celine Dion announced her Courage World Tour would kick off again in 2021, after being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020: Listing of mother's Laval home
After the death of her mother in 2020, Celine Dion listed her mother's Laval home for US$1.785 million.
2020: Death of Mother, Thérèse Tanguay Dion
In 2020, Celine Dion's mother, Thérèse Tanguay Dion, passed away. She was a homemaker who played a significant role in Celine's early life and career.
2021: Honorary doctorate degree
In 2021, Celine Dion received an honorary doctorate degree in music from Berklee College of Music.
January 2022: North American Tour Cancellation
On 15 January 2022, Celine Dion canceled her North American tour dates due to severe muscle spasms.
August 2022: Stiff Person Syndrome diagnosis
In June 2024, Celine Dion publicly disclosed in a People magazine cover story that she had struggled with a variety of mysterious symptoms for 17 years before her August 2022 diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome, a neurological disorder affecting her muscles.
December 2022: Disclosure of Stiff-Person Syndrome Diagnosis
In December 2022, Celine Dion disclosed that she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a neurological disorder affecting her muscles.
2022: Tour Canceled Due to Stiff-Person Syndrome Diagnosis
In 2022, Celine Dion canceled her tour due to a diagnosis with stiff-person syndrome, impacting her ability to perform.
2023: Sale of Summerlin, Nevada house
In 2023, Celine Dion sold her Summerlin, Nevada house for US$30 million.
June 2024: Public Disclosure of Stiff-Person Syndrome Struggle
In June 2024, Celine Dion publicly disclosed in a People magazine cover story that she had struggled with a variety of mysterious symptoms for 17 years before her August 2022 diagnosis. It was also revealed that she was under the care of Dr. Amanda Piquet and that her charitable foundation was donating $2 million to support autoimmune neurology research.
June 2024: I Am: Celine Dion Documentary Release
On 25 June 2024, Amazon MGM Studios released a documentary about Dion's life with stiff-person syndrome, I Am: Celine Dion.
2024: Forbes Net Worth Ranking
In 2024, Forbes reported that Celine Dion had a net worth of US$550 million, getting her to no. 59 on the magazine's list of America's Richest Self-Made Women.
