Céline Dion’s brother, Daniel Dion, has sadly died at the age of 59, just two days after the loss of her beloved husband, René Angélil.
Daniel had been battling cancer, with his family confirming on Saturday night that he had died at a palliative care centre in Quebec.
The Dion family said in a statement: “Taking in consideration the reserved character of their deceased brother, the family wishes respect and discretion from the media.”
Daniel Dion in 2006
Céline has also issued a statement on her official website, writing that he had been “surrounded by his loving family” at the time of his death.
In addition to his 13 brothers and sisters, Daniel is survived by his his mother, Thérèse Tanguay-Dion, his two daughters, Valérie and Marie-Michelle and two grandchildren, Matis and Laurianne.
Daniel’s sister, Claudette Dion, first confirmed on Friday that Daniel suffering from cancer of the throat and tongue, with the news of his death confirmed the following evening.
Céline and René in 2013
The loss of her brother comes as the second huge blow to Céline in a matter of days, following the death of her husband, René, who also had a widely-reported battle with throat cancer in recent years.
As well as being her husband, René served as Céline’s manager for over 30 years, having first been sent a recording of her singing at the age of just 12 years old, going on to make her a worldwide star.