Céline Dion's 3 Children: All About René-Charles, Nelson and Eddy

Céline Dion has three children with her late husband, René Angélil

Céline Dion may be a superstar, but she considers her role as a mom to be the greatest “privilege."

The “My Heart Will Go On” singer and her late husband, René Angélil, welcomed three sons together: René-Charles, 23, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 13. Angélil died in 2016 from throat cancer, and in the years since, Dion and her sons have continued to lean on one another for support.

Speaking to PEOPLE in 2007, Dion expressed that singing never gave her life real purpose, unlike her children.

"I'm not really a singer. My life is to be a mom," she said. "It is what I enjoy the most. It is my most amazing reward. I will take a chance with my music. I don't take risks with my family."

Related: Céline Dion's Cutest Photos with Her Children

In May 2023, Dion's sons served as "her light" when she had to cancel all of her tour dates through April 2024 due to her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis.

"Her main focuses are always her sons and performing. She is the most selfless and considerate person," a source told PEOPLE. "Céline just loves her boys so much. They are amazing. They give her all the support and love that she needs."

Nearly a year later, the singer posed with all three of her sons in a photo she shared on Instagram in honor of International Stiff-Person Syndrome Awareness Day on March 15, 2024.

In a caption she wrote in both English and French, sharing, "Trying to overcome this autoimmune disorder has been one of the hardest experiences of my life, but I remain determined to one day get back onto the stage and to live as normal of a life as possible. I am deeply grateful for the love and support from my kids, family, team and all of you!"

Here's everything to know about Céline Dion’s children: René-Charles, Nelson and Eddy.

René-Charles Angélil, 23

René-Charles, who was named after his father, was born on Jan. 25, 2001, in Loxahatchee, Florida, weighing 6 lbs., 8 oz. Dion and Angélil welcomed their first child together when she was 32, and he was 59 after a round of in vitro fertilization treatments.

Dion has referred to her eldest child as a “miracle child.” In May 2006, when René-Charles was 5, she opened up to PEOPLE about how much she loved being a mom to him.

“It relaxes me to read stories to him, do finger painting, play with Play-Doh. I think people have a hard time imagining I can have a normal life, but I do,” the singer said.

After nearly two decades touring the globe, Dion kicked off her first residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, which ran from March 2003 through December 2007. The singer said she was seeking a more stable routine to embrace her role as a mother, telling PEOPLE: “I am a full-time mom. That’s my priority. Then I go and sing a few songs at night.”

Her son was among the audience members at one particular show. “It was the only time I felt nauseous before a show,” she said. "My son was going to be there looking at me as a performer and not as a mom reading stories at bedtime.”

Growing up, René-Charles was into sports. Dion told PEOPLE in 2015 that her then-14-year-old son was “very athletic” and that he loved to play golf and hockey.

A few years later, Dion was seen cheering and dancing in the stands at one of her son’s hockey games in Terrebonne, Quebec, while sporting a jersey with “Angélil” written on the back.

After his father’s death, René-Charles played an important role at Angélil's funeral by delivering a heartfelt eulogy. Reflecting on the moment during an interview with PEOPLE, Dion recalled that her son wasn’t sure he’d be able to read it.

To encourage him to read the eulogy, she told him: “‘I just want you to know your dad and I have always respected you. We respect your decision,’ ” before adding, “‘This is the last time you can talk to your dad. RC, it’s not for me or the people, it’s for your dad. ’ ”

Today, René-Charles has followed in his parent's footsteps and is pursuing a career in music. In May 2018, he released two songs on SoundCloud, which went to No. 1 and 2 on the platform’s R&B & Soul New & Hot chart.

René-Charles spoke to the Montreal Gazette after the songs dropped and shared the moment he played his mom the songs for the first time.

“I just felt like keeping it on the low. But she loved it. She was just kind of stunned at first, because she’d never heard anything from me,” he said.

In January 2021, he went on to release his EP titled Casino.5. Following the EP’s release, Dion celebrated her son on her Instagram Story, writing: “I'm so proud of my son. My love for him is so strong, and it touches me deeply that one of his passions is also one of mine.”

Following his mom's stiff-person syndrome diagnosis, René-Charles accompanied Dion to the 2024 Grammys, where she presented the award for album of the year to Taylor Swift.

Nelson and Eddy Angélil, 13

After six rounds of IVF and one miscarriage, Dion and Angélil announced that their family would be growing in 2010. Angélil told PEOPLE that the couple were “ecstatic” to be expecting twins.

He added, “Celine is just hoping for a healthy pregnancy. She was hoping for one baby and the news that we are having two is a double blessing.”

Fraternal twins Eddy and Nelson were born on Oct. 23, 2010, in West Palm Beach, Florida, weighing 5 lbs., 4 oz. and 5 lbs., 10 oz.

Eddy was named after producer Eddy Marnay, who produced Dion’s first five albums. Dion’s rep said at the time, “He was like a father to her. Eddy is a major influence in both Céline and René’s lives.”

Nelson, on the other hand, was named after Nelson Mandela, whom Dion once met while on tour.

“Céline and René want their children to be inspired by their names, because they were so inspired by these men," her rep added.

Even when they were infants, Dion could identify the distinct personalities of her twin sons.

“One is more gutsy than the other. Nelson seems to have a little stronger personality right now. He’s the tougher of the two,” she told Hello! in November 2010. "They are fraternal twins, but they look very alike. Nelson weighed more at the birth, but the doctor told us in a week or two, they’re going to be the same.”

Eddy and Nelson were only 5 years old when Angélil died. Dion broke the news to her youngest sons with the help of Disney’s Up. She waited a few days and then threw the twins a glitter and balloon-filled party ahead of her late husband's funeral. When explaining his death, she used a balloon analogy, telling them Angélil had “gone up” and floated away on balloons and would not return.

“I did not want to relate the passing to doctors and have them be afraid. It’s the thing I’m most proud of,” she explained to PEOPLE.

Staying true to her Up analogy, Dion, Eddy and Nelson had a sweet nighttime routine after Angélil’s death to remain close to him.

“We have a little ritual where we say goodnight to him with a little picture," she told the outlet. "Then the kids talk to him. And they write words, put them in balloons and we send the balloons to the sky.”

When Eddy and Nelson turned 10 in October 2020, Dion penned a touching message to them on Instagram. She shared a throwback photo of the duo posing in autumn leaves, followed by two side-by-side frames recreating old photos of Eddy and Nelson posing in piles of leaves.

“Nelson and Eddy, you have been bringing so much joy, love and laughter into our lives every single day for the past 10 years,” Dion wrote. “You make me, your big brother and your Dad, who is for sure watching over you, so very proud. Happy birthday my beautiful boys! We love you so very much.”

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