The past 12 months have been incredibly difficult for Celine Dion, following the death of her beloved husband René Angélil in January. With 2016 now drawing to a close, the singer has posted a retrospective video on her Facebook page, sharing personal highlights along with intimate moments of grief with her fans.
The five-minute clip begins on 14 January – the date of René's passing. René, who was Celine's longterm manager and husband of 21 years, died of throat cancer at the age of 73, and the video includes moments from his funeral service as Celine and the couple's three children, 15-year-old René-Charles, and six-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy, say their final goodbyes.
Celine Dion and her sons pictured at René's funeral
Also featured in the montage footage is Celine's powerful return to the stage following René's death, at a memorial concert in Las Vegas on 3 February, as well as her appearance at the Billboard Music Awards in May, when she received the Icon Award.
The Show Must Go On star went on to highlight her string of nine concerts in Paris, and her attendance at Paris Fashion Week.
Celine released her 26th studio album, Encore un soir, in August as a tribute to her late husband, and embarked on a tour of Europe and Canada to promote it. In the video, Celine can be seen being greeted by fans outside hotels, and performing to crowds inside her sold-out shows as she travelled from city to city.
The singer has shared an emotional retrospective video with fans following her difficult year
Celine ended her video with a powerful message to her fans, thanking them for all their support. "My voice does not resonate without you. You have made my childhood dream come true. I hope I have inspired you to reach out for yours," the message read.
The Canadian star is set to return to her Las Vegas residency, which celebrated its 1000th show in October, on 17 January.