Just one day after Celine Dion’s husband René Angélil died at 73 after a long battle with throat cancer, Celine’s sister Claudette has shared that their brother Daniel, 59, has been fighting brain, tongue, and throat cancer.
Daniel is reportedly surrounded by family, including his 89-year-old mother.
Claudette has said: “It’s very painful. It’s a matter of days or hours. It looks a lot like René, he had cancer of the throat, tongue and brain. Our family is very experienced.”
Announcing René’s death on Thursday, on the eve of what would have been his 74th birthday, Celine’s representative said: “René Angélil, 73, passed away this morning at his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer. The family requests that their privacy be respected at the moment; more details will be provided at a later time.”
Angélil was first diagnosed with throat cancer in April 1998. He made a full recovery, but developed the illness again in December 2013.
Celine Dion and René Angélil were married for 21 years, and have three children together. They first met in 1980, when Celine was 12 and René was 38. He funded her first album and became her manager.
Last year, Dion took a break from her residency in Las Vegas when her husband’s illness worsened, before returning to the stage in August.