We’re not crying, you’re crying
It has been an emotional couple of years for Céline Dion, who lost her beloved husband René Angélil to cancer in January 2016. The couple were married for 21 years.
But the singer revealed how a fellow performer helped her work through her grief by writing a song for her, and that artist was P!nk.
Céline told the story to her audience, including yours truly, as she kicked off her UK tour at the O2 (as part of The O2's 10th Birthday celebrations, you can still buy tickets here).
She recalled how P!nk sent her the song, hoping to bring her comfort, ‘For a moment last year during the most difficult time of grieving the loss of my husband Rene, I received an unexpected gift from someone that I admire tremendously. She’s an amazing performer and you know her very well, her name is P!nk.’
Céline continued, ‘I don’t write my own songs so P!nk wrote a song for me that expresses the power to stand up and stay strong in any situation.’
In a poignant gesture that might or might not have brought a tear to our eyes, she then dedicated the song to everyone who lost loved ones in the Manchester and London attacks, and the Grenfell Tower, ‘All of us here have lost loved ones, those who are near and dear to us, especially in the past several weeks here in London and across the UK where tragedy has devastated us in a way we cannot understand.
‘It’s left us searching for answers, lost for words and simply just lost. So I would like to offer this special from P!nk in the hope that it was over some comfort to you like it comforted me. It’s called Recovering.’
She then proceeded to belt out the emotional ballad, to much appreciation from the crowd, followed by some of her greatest hits, including I’m Alive, Because You Loved Me, All By Myself and of course, My Heart Will Go On.
In another surprise celebrity connection we didn’t see coming, Céline cited heavily at a duet with Adele, telling us she is her favourite singer of all time and revealing she’d love to live in London if it meant she could ‘make it happen’ with Adele.
An Adele and Céline duet? Bring it on.
