Celine Dion has shared her heartbreak over the passing of her dear friend Franco Dragone.
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The singer took to social media to share the news of his death and praise his "imaginative creativity, his professionalism, and his ingenious ability to bring people together and make them believe".
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Franco was an Italian-born Belgian theater director who specialized in large-scale shows and worked with Cirque du Soleil and Celine on her first Las Vegas residency, A New Day, which became the highest-grossing residency of all time in 2007 when it closed.
"It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of my dear friend and collaborator Franco Dragone. Franco and I shared so many incredible and beautiful moments together throughout our “A New Day…” adventure," Celine shared with fans.
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"Franco’s imaginative creativity, his professionalism, and his ingenious ability to bring people together and make them believe will transcend generations. My most sincere condolences to his family, his loved ones and to all those who had the privilege to cross his path."
Celine's tribute comes after she returned to social media following a lengthy absence throughout the summer. But she broke her silence to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth ll following her death at the age of 96.
Celine paid tribute to her collaborator
The All By Myself hitmaker has been dealt a challenging hand herself as her health has left her unable to perform for her legions of loyal followers since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The singer first revealed that she had medical problems affecting her performance ability back in October, when she delayed the opening of her Las Vegas shows.
It was shared that she was plagued by "severe and persistent muscle spasms which are preventing her from performing," and she was undergoing treatment for it.
She then canceled her North American and European dates but recently confirmed she would return for rescheduled dates in 2023.
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