Celine Dion made her heart-wrenching return to TV Sunday night, in her first televised performance since her husband, René Angélil, died of cancer. (Her brother also died from cancer just days later.) She took the stage at the Billboard Music Awards to not only honor her decades-long career, but look forward to what her work has in store next.
She received the Billboard Icon Award, which has only been given to four other people: Neil Diamond, Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Jennifer Lopez. But before accepting the award, she broke out into her performance of the Queen song, "The Show Must Go On."
Dion's son, René-Charles, surprised her by presenting the award. After tearful moment as words escaped her, she asked him to stand by her side for emotional support.
"I want to be so strong for my family and my kids, and I didn't expect this, I don't want to cry in front of you," she said.
.@celinedion's son surprised her on stage at the #BBMAs & it had to be one of the sweetest moments of the night. 😢 pic.twitter.com/TKvoIUdWGjMay 23, 2016
"Most especially, I want to thank the fans for traveling through music with me, in good and bad times," she said. Finally, she paid tribute to "my beloved husband, who I know will continue to watch over me from up above. René, this one's for you. The show must go on."
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Megan Friedman is the former managing editor of the Newsroom at Hearst. She's worked at NBC and Time, and is a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism.
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