Celine Dion's Oldest Son René-Charles Angélil's Striking Transformation

Celine Dion is no stranger to grabbing people's attention with her talent, but nowadays her son René-Charles Angélil is stealing the spotlight. For many fans, it seems like just yesterday when he came into the world as Dion's miracle baby. Now, he's by his mother's side at red-carpet appearances, Grammy award shows, and even the Olympic Games, and we can't get over his shocking evolution.

Angélil is the eldest child of Dion and her late husband, René, and an older brother to his twin siblings Eddy and Nelson. He has undoubtedly grown up fast, being shuffled around the country as a child while his mother juggled world tours and Las Vegas residencies. But that hasn't seemed to bother him much, as his mother's outstanding music career inspired him to embark on his own. Angélil has also assumed a fatherly role at a young age, after losing René to throat cancer when he was just a teenager. In the face of tragedy, he soldiered on, passing the lessons he learned from his father to his younger siblings.

All grown up and with all the tools to succeed, Angélil is poised to have a promising career. While it can't be easy to follow in the footsteps of his legendary mother, the future seems bright for the Florida native. So what's he been up to all these years while maturing right before our eyes? Here's a look at René-Charles Angélil's striking transformation.

René-Charles Angélil came into the world with plenty of fanfare thanks to his famous mother. It's no secret that the Canadian singer is widely recognized as one of the greatest singers of her generation, so the news of her first-born child rocked the globe.

On an episode of "Carpool Karaoke" with James Corden, the "My Heart Will Go On" singer revealed that Angélil's birth in 2001 was announced to the world a bit prematurely. "I'm delivering my first child, and I don't even have him in my arms yet and I look to the left and there's a TV there and the doctor is announcing live on television a beautiful healthy boy, 7 pounds 8 ounces," she recalled. "I'm saying to myself, 'My baby is on television and I didn't even hold him yet.'"

The media attention surrounding his birth may have been extravagant, but the world had long awaited the arrival of the singer's miracle baby. A few years before, René Angélil had been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma on a lymph gland in his neck, and the couple decided to freeze his sperm out of caution due to the possible risks of chemotherapy. Due to his low sperm count, doctors performed an intracytoplasmic sperm injection, which involves fertilizing an egg with one lone sperm cell. After a round of IVF treatments, Dion became pregnant with René-Charles the same day she found out that her husband's cancer had been cured.

René-Charles Angélil had an unconventional childhood, which makes sense considering his mother is a global superstar. He grew up homeschooled, often joining his mother on her world tours or Vegas residencies while she managed motherhood and her bustling career.

In an interview with TV Guide (via People) in 2008, Dion shared that she had reservations about deciding to take her son along on tour, not knowing how he would adjust to homeschooling. "Yes, René-Charles has been homeschooling for almost two years now. It was a big, big concern for me — the school thing. My husband was extremely smart in school, but I wasn't. I didn't want my son to suffer my experience of school," she admitted. Despite her concerns, Angélil proved her wrong and ended up being ahead of his classmates. "He's started first grade, but he's in second grade in math," she said. "It's such a relief for me that he loves school, and he's succeeding. I couldn't ask for better."

Eventually, around 2010, Angélil transitioned from homeschooling and Skype classes to attending in-person school. Celine Dion may have had the eyes of the world watching her, but she did her best to give Angélil a normal childhood. "I certainly don't see him at 5 the way I was at 5, starting something professional," she told AP (via Today). "I so much want him to be a kid."

René-Charles Angélil became an older brother in 2010 with the arrival of twins Eddy and Nelson. It wasn't an easy road for Celine Dion, who endured six rounds of IVF treatments and suffered a miscarriage before becoming pregnant with her two younger sons.

The twins came into the world (with no premature announcements this time around) as healthy babies, with Eddy being named after Dion's former producer Eddy Marnay, and Nelson's name inspired by Nelson Mandela. "One is more gutsy than the other. Nelson seems to have a little stronger personality right now. He's the tougher of the two. They are fraternal twins, but they look very alike," the singer told Hello! Magazine in 2010. "Nelson weighed more at the birth, but the doctor told us in a week or two, they're going to be the same."

Despite their over 9-year age gap, it seems like René-Charles, Eddy, and Nelson have maintained a close relationship over the years. Dion and her sons were often seen together on trips to Disneyland growing up as well as on annual ski trips. Expressing her gratitude for the happiness they have brought into her and her eldest son's lives, Dion took to Instagram in 2020 (via E! News) to share a photo of the twins on their 10th birthdays. "You make me, your big brother and your Dad, who is for sure watching over you, so very proud," she wrote in the post.

René-Charles Angélil dealt with the heartbreaking loss of his father when he was just 14 years old. René Angélil died of throat cancer in 2016, after surviving two bouts with the disease since his diagnosis in 1999. He had previously worked as his wife's manager and mentor throughout her career after the pair first met in 1980.

René-Charles' siblings Eddy and Nelson were just 5 years old at the time of their father's death, and he took on a major role in their lives following the tragedy. During the funeral service, he honored his father's Quebec heritage by speaking partly in French, giving a heartfelt tribute to René's lasting legacy. "15 years is not a long time for a son to get to know his father," he shared (via People). "You had a busy life, but we were communicating through golf, hockey, poker, and smoked meat ... and a lot of other wonderful food, bonding more and more as time went by."

The eldest son also mentioned his commitment to continuing his father's legacy by passing on René's life lessons to Eddy and Nelson. "You left me now with enough good memories of you to share with my younger brothers," he said. "As they grow older, without you being around, I'll make sure to pass on what I've learned from you," he added, promising his father he and his family would live a life he would approve of. 

René-Charles Angélil grew up with two Canadian parents, so it's no surprise that he inherited a love of hockey. Celine Dion's eldest son developed quite the skills on the ice, and the singer described him as "very athletic" in an interview with People in 2015.

Angélil was especially involved in hockey throughout his teenage years, playing in the Nevada Storm Midget AA league when he was around 15 years old. Dion is her son's biggest fan, and she even attended one of his private games in 2017 decked out in custom fan gear. Sporting a hockey jersey inscribed with "Angélil" on the back, an Instagram user captured a video (reposted by People on X, formerly known as Twitter) of the Grammy winner dancing along to music at her then-teenager's game.

Hockey has become a bonding experience for Dion and her kids, who have frequently been spotted together over the years at various NHL games. "My boys and I had such a fun time visiting with the Montreal Canadiens after their hockey game with Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas Monday night," the singer wrote in an Instagram post in 2023. "Thank you for meeting us after the game, guys! That was memorable for all of us."

René-Charles Angélil lives a private life and isn't big on social media, so he's not one to talk about his love life. However, that hasn't stopped multiple sources from reporting that he has been rumored to be dating Angelique Weckenmann since 2016.

According to the French website, Gala, Weckenmann is a figure skater in Las Vegas, and the two started seeing each other after Angélil was practicing hockey in the same area, both sharing a love for sports on ice. The athlete also worked as a Starbucks barista, as well as at the Wynn Hotel, the same company her mother works for.

It's unclear whether Angélil and Weckenmann are still together as of the time of writing. While it was reported the pair split up in the fall of 2023, they were photographed together leaving the Royal Monceau Hotel in Paris in July 2024, so there's no telling whether or not their romance is on thin ice (pun intended).

René-Charles Angélil is following in his mother's footsteps, as he set out on a music career of his own. The then-17-year-old surprised Celine Dion when he released two rap songs he produced himself in 2018, uploading them to SoundCloud where they soared to the top of the Canadian R&B charts.

Angélil sampled two of The Weeknd's hit tracks in his songs, and later released three other tracks — some of which took him just an hour to write and record. The rapper — whose rap name is Big Tip — told The Gazette that his mother was shocked to hear about his success on the streaming platform. "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 explained. "It was kind of a weird conversation: 'Ma, I'm No. 1 and No. 2 on the charts right now.' She was like: 'Why didn't you tell me first?' But she's very supportive of my passion for this."

In 2021, Angélil produced his first EP, Casino.5, which included five new tracks under the name RC Angélil. No one was happier than Dion for the new artist, and she took to X to share her thoughts on his music venture. "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," she tweeted at the time.

René-Charles Angélil helped his mother through one of the most difficult moments in her life after she received some life-changing news in 2022. At the time, the "All by Myself" singer revealed on social media that she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome (SPS). According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, SPS is a "rare autoimmune neurological disorder that most commonly causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms that come and go and can worsen over time." There's no known cure, but medicine and physical therapy can help alleviate pain associated with the condition.

While dealing with the symptoms of her condition, Dion was forced to cancel appearances and tours, but she has since found strength in her children, who encourage her to live fully despite the setbacks. "I let them know, 'You lost your dad, [but] mom has a condition and it's different. I'm not going to die. It's something that I'm going to learn to live with,'" she shared with People.

Dion admitted that she had dealt with muscle pain and spasms in her throat and feet for nearly two decades, but she didn't want to appear weak in front of her family or fans. "It took my whole life," Dion told People of realizing she was over-exerting herself. "But it's like if my kids are rollerblading, for example, and one of their ankles is hurting. They don't want to tell me because I'm going to say, 'Well, take a break from rollerblading.'"

Dealing with the symptoms of her SPS presented new obstacles for Celine Dion, but it didn't stop her from presenting alongside her son at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Dion made a rare public appearance with René-Charles Angélil at that year's awards show, presenting the Grammy for album of the year to Taylor Swift.

The crowd was overjoyed to see Dion back in action after the shocking news of her diagnosis, and their applause only magnified their love for the legendary singer. "Thank you all. I love you right back," Dion said during the show (via Entertainment Tonight). "When I say that I'm happy to be here, I really mean it from my heart."

While the singer's return caused quite a stir on the Internet, so did her son's presence, as many fans were shocked to see Angélil all grown up and looking as dapper as ever. "@Celinedion's son looks like a royalty," wrote one user on X. "Beautiful moment," commented another viewer.

Fans were delighted to see Celine Dion give a stunning performance at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games. René-Charles Angélil accompanied his mother to the games, which was Dion's first performance since her SPS diagnosis.

Angélil and Dion were spotted checking into the Royal Monceau Hotel on July 23, when the first murmurs of a potential performance by the "That's the Way It Is" singer started surfacing in the media. Shortly after the Olympic torch was set aflame, the singer gave a heartfelt rendition of the French song "Hymne a l'Amour" by Édith Piaf joined only by a pianist on stage, which sat on the Eiffel Tower.

Dion marked the momentous occasion on X, writing, "I'm honored to have performed tonight, for the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony, and so full of joy to be back in one of my very favorite cities!" She went on to congratulate the athletes, praising them for their incredible strength and persistence. Even Elon Musk was a fan of Dion's comeback, tweeting in response, "You were great!"