The sweet reason Celine Dion’s ‘introverted’ son René-Charles accompanied her to the Grammys

 

Celine Dion earned a standing ovation when she made a surprise appearance at the 2024 Grammys in February – where she was escorted by her eldest son, René-Charles. 

Her return to the stage understandably overshadowed her special date for the evening, but her son’s presence was poignant in more ways than one. 

According to Celine’s sister, Claudette Dion, René-Charles went above and beyond his comfort levels to support his mother in her return to the spotlight. 

“I didn’t ask who was going to accompany her. When I saw her arm-in-arm with René-Charles, all confident with his little beard, it was totally crazy!” she told Le Journal de Montreal. 

“He’s an introvert, even if he loves music, he’s not someone who expresses himself much in public, so we knew he did it especially for his mother,” she added. 

“He was looking after her. A real René Angélil!” 

The “My Heart Will Go On” hitmaker shares sons René-Charles, 23, and twins Eddy and Nelson, 13, with her late husband René Angélil, who died in 2016 following a battle with throat cancer. 

Following his birth, Celine referred to René-Charles as a “miracle child” after she conceived him following a round of IVF. 

In 2019, she spoke of the trust she has in her eldest son. “As any teenager, they have to try things because if you say no to so many things ― they will turn around and still do them,” she said on ITV’s Lorraine. 

“So I am giving him more space. I trust him. He does stuff sometimes that I have to say, not necessarily agree with what he chooses to try, but as long as he’s using his intelligence and his mind and brain, I trust him.” 

René-Charles has followed in his mom and dad’s footsteps in the music industry, releasing two songs on SoundCloud in 2018, which went to No. 1 and 2 on the platform’s R&B & Soul New & Hot chart. 

The talented musician spoke to the Montreal Gazette about his music soon after they were released, telling the publication about the moment he played the songs to his mom 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 revealed. 

Since then, he has released an EP, Casino.5.

While Celine is not fully back in the public eye following her stiff person syndrome diagnosis in December 2022, fans will see much more of her in the upcoming documentary I Am: Celine Dion. 

The 102-minute documentary, released on Amazon Prime Video on June 25, was announced in January and promises a deeper look inside her battle with the rare neurological disorder over the past year and a half. 

It is also said to feature intimate glimpses of her couture touring wardrobe, behind-the-scenes footage of her in the recording studio, and a more personal look at her family life. 

An official statement described it as an “emotional, energetic, and poetic love letter to music”.

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