Celine Dion's Son Has Grown Up To Be Gorgeous

Céline Dion is undoubtedly an international superstar. With an enviable music career that spans decades, the Canadian singer has charmed fans from around the world with her voice. However, she has made it clear through the years that her family continues to be what is most important to her. 

Dion welcomed three children with her late husband René Angélil, twins Nelson and Eddy and their eldest son, René-Charles. Time has flown since her first whirlwind pregnancy, and René-Charles is officially all grown up.

As you might imagine, he's no longer the cute, little, long-haired boy we saw in photos at his mom's knee. René-Charles isn't in the spotlight nearly as much as his show-stopping mother, but he's making his way in the world at his own pace and in his own way. And there's still plenty interesting about him. Here's a look at how the Céline Dion's oldest son became the gorgeous young man he is today.

Céline Dion didn't start planning to have a family until she was in her 30s, which is widely considered by the medical community to be a more difficult age to conceive a child. Compounded with that were her husband René Angélil's own medical issues. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1998 and was thus undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, forcing them to freeze some of his sperm. However, his sperm count was apparently already too low for standard IVF (in-vitro fertilization) treatment.

After a specialized procedure known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection, Dion finally completed a successful pregnancy. René-Charles Angélil was born in Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee, Florida, on January 25, 2001. According to David Foster, a record producer and close family friend, it was a long-awaited joy. "This was their dream," he told People. "It's bigger than any hit record, bigger than anything for them." The couple had waited a long time for René-Charles Angelil to come into the world, and they were overjoyed at his arrival.

The Dion family goes much farther than just Céline Dion and her children. Dion is the youngest of 14 kids. The amount of children no doubt stressed the family's already struggling financials, as their father worked as a butcher for $167 a week. "We were safe and warm and taken care of. Three or four of us in the same bed was normal to us," Dion told Vanity Fair. "We were given love and affection and support. What else did we need?"

It all appears to have been for the best, though, as now René-Charles has a whopping 13 aunts and uncles to dote on him. As soon as he was brought home to Quebec from the hospital, he was known as "Le Petit Prince" in the house, which means "The Little Prince" in French. Dion's sister Liette told People, "[Céline] won't be seeing much of her little boy. Everyone will want to hold him!"

Nearly 10 years after René-Charles' birth, his mother gifted him with not one but two siblings — Céline Dion gave birth to twin boys on October 23, 2010. By now, though, at the age of 42, Céline was starting to feel the exhaustion of motherhood and had to focus on the babies over René-Charles. "My little boy, René-Charles, has a fever and I want to be there for him but I am breastfeeding the babies every two-and-a-half hours," she told Hello! Canada (via The Daily Mail).

Even at the young age of 10, René-Charles showed he was mature enough to be a supportive big brother. "He was an amazing trooper. Very sensitive," Dion said to Oprah magazine. "For every trial, he was with us emotionally." However, he was hilariously less than impressed with his new siblings when they finally arrived. "René-Charles is looking at them like, 'Mom the only thing they do is look around and cry,"' Dion admitted. However, it looks like he eventually came around to the value of family. 

The regional Quebec press had a very weird fascination with René-Charles' hair when he was growing up. The articles constantly asked why Céline Dion let her sons grow their hair so long. That was just the first sign of the public's bafflement with the Dion parenting style.

In 2013 Dion went on "Katie," Katie Couric's former talk show, and revealed that one of the twins, Nelson, liked running around in high heels. "I don't know how he does it, but I'm not the only one in this family who loves shoes, believe me," Dion joked. The internet responded with its usual tact, but Dion didn't seem to care.

In 2018, she launched her gender-neutral line of children's clothing, Celinununu. As she told CNN, she was inspired by her experiences raising René-Charles and the twins. "I thought they were going to go for the big superheroes. They were looking at princesses. And they all wanted to be Minnie Mouse," she said. "And I end up saying to myself, 'You know what, it's OK.' You know why it's OK? Because they're talking, they're finding themselves." René-Charles was able to grow up without a hard focus on gender expectations.

It should come as no surprise now that Céline Dion is very passionate about her family. "I'm still on stage because I still love that part of my life," she told Taste of Life, "but what I'm most proud of, what I consider my biggest success, is my family — my three beautiful children." Thus, when it was ever a choice between family and fame, she always chose the former. She made sure René-Charles and his brothers got to have as much of a normal upbringing as possible.

"I always say to the bodyguards when we go bowling, for example, 'If the fans come, don't tell them no. But ask them if they can wait because I'm having a moment with my child, and if they don't mind waiting, I will be pleased to give them an autograph if they want," she told Oprah. Furthermore, she built a private home in Florida where the entire family, including her parents and 13 siblings, could enjoy each other in peace. René-Charles likely didn't have to suffer through sharing one bathroom with all of them, though!

René Angélil recovered from his initial battle with throat cancer in 1999, but in 2013, the horrible disease reared its ugly head again. He underwent surgery to remove the tumor in winter of that year, but the cancer did not subside. For the last two years of his life, he would eat through a feeding tube with steadily declining health. At the time, René-Charles was still just a young teenager. 

Céline Dion opened up about her son's experience to Us Weekly. "I have tremendous respect for my oldest, René-Charles, because he's showing strength to see his dad this way, because he's been his anchor," she said. "When he was younger he knew his dad was older but they bonded a lot. I'm sure it's hard for him." René Angélil sadly passed away at the age of 73 on January 14, 2016. René-Charles gave the eulogy at his own father's funeral, demonstrating strength and maturity at such a young age.

When Céline Dion's son, René-Charles Angélil, was growing up, he learned a lot from his father, René Angélil. The biggest skill that he may have absorbed from his dad, though, was how to play poker. Throughout his life, René was known as a wonderful poker player. As an interviewer for Poker News noted to René-Charles in a chat that was later shared on Instagram, "[Your father] played in a lot of high-stakes games over at Bellagio and stuff. ... He would come over to Bellagio and play some cash game poker while your mom was performing over at Caesars [Palace]." René-Charles confirmed this story with a laugh and gushed about how well his father had played.

As far as poker is concerned, René-Charles and René seem to embody the old saying, "like father, like son." Speaking to the World Series of Poker, René-Charles explained, "I've been playing poker for as long as I can remember. My dad taught me how to play. [I've] been playing, you know, since I was probably like five years old." These early memories helped René-Charles develop a life-long passion for the game. 

Despite his celebrity parents, René-Charles Angélil grew into a pretty average teenage boy. He joined up with the local hockey teams (unsurprising considering his parents' Canadian roots). But it wasn't just hockey he was into. He could seen be seen enjoying a few rounds of golf on his Instagram. Outside of that, he seemed to enjoy hanging out with his friends — just like any other teen.

It appears as if Céline Dion's down-to-earth parenting paid off, and she couldn't have been more proud. "He's a wonderful young man. He's entered his teenage years and sometimes we can go really crazy, for some teenagers, but so far so good," she told Us Weekly in 2015. While the death of his father obviously impacted him, Céline made sure that her son was able to move on with his life. "I said to [René-Charles], 'I never want you to feel the pressure of being the man of the house,'" she told Extra in 2017 (via The Daily Mail). "'You have your own dreams and he is always with you in your heart and I am here for you.'"

René-Charles Angélil might have spent most of his childhood in Nevada, but there is Canadian blood running through his veins. As highlighted, he was a part of his local hockey team. Off the ice, though, he also enjoyed watching the sport. A shoutout from the Canadian professional hockey player P.K. Subban to René-Charles and his mom revealed that Dion is a "big Habs fan." The Habs are what fans call the Montreal Canadiens, the NHL team that gave Subban his start and launched his professional career.

It looks like René-Charles gets a lot of love from mom when it comes to his own hockey endeavors. There's hilarious footage of Céline Dion, darling of Canada and multi-Grammy winner, dancing it up hockey-mom style at one of her son's games in Montreal. She's even sporting a jersey with his name and number on it. It's beyond adorable.

According to René-Charles' eulogy, his departed father also had a love of the sport. It looks like this is one family tradition that's still going strong.

If only all of us grew up with the bilingual upbringing that René-Charles had. As once evidenced by his Instagram, he is fluent in French, translating many of his posts into the romantic language. He also began his moving eulogy for his father in French. It all makes perfect sense, though, given his parents' French-Canadian heritage. Not to mention, his mother's native tongue is French.

At first, Dion could only speak a little English. Grammy-winning producer David Foster recalled the first time he heard Dion sing — she was "belting out Top 40 hits, singing words and she didn't even know what she was saying. She didn't speak hardly any English at all at that point." Since then, she has released several albums in both English and French.

However, it seems like René-Charles did not have to go through that same struggle. Dion, along with her large extended family, were shown speaking to her children in French while they're still young, introducing them early. Clearly, they all grew up in a two-language household. 

He may have had a down-to-earth upbringing, but René-Charles did get a few celebrity perks in his life. He attended the Billboard Music Awards in 2016, giving his mom the Icon Award in a surprise appearance. While witnessing his mom's emotional performance, he managed to rub elbows with other celebrities, including Rihanna. 

A year later he returned to the 2017 Billboard Music Awards and met even more stars. He met up with the popular band BTS after they had just won the award for Top Social Artist. René-Charles' Instagram once showed pictures of the then-young teen hanging with big names like Drake, DJ Khaled, and Miley Cyrus. 

Then, in August 2018, he took a snapshot with rapper Post Malone and Khalid at the Osheaga Music Festival in Montreal. Considering all these appearances, it should come as no surprise that René-Charles has a passion for music and even released some of his own tunes under the name Big Tip. He clearly doesn't mind taking advantage of his position to hang with his favorite artists.

As mentioned before, René-Charles gave the eulogy at his father's funeral. The speech shows nothing but love and strength in the face of tragedy. "Fifteen years is not a long time for a son to get to know his father," he said to the congregation. "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."

He went on to assure loved ones that he would keep his father's memory alive in the young twins, Nelson and Eddy. "You left me now with enough good memories of you to share with my younger brothers. As they grow older, without you being around, I'll make sure to pass on what I've learned from you." The whole Angelil family appears to have kept this promise and keeps Rene's memory alive every single day. Dion told The Sun in 2017 that she and her sons have a ritual to "kiss [their dad] every night... [and] say goodnight to him with a little picture." 

According to his mom, dad is still with René-Charles in the deepest way. She wrote to her oldest son in an Instagram post for his 18th birthday: "Your father continues to guide you, helping you to make the right choices."

The music gene is strong in the Dion family. In May 2018, René-Charles dropped six songs onto his SoundCloud — four original rap songs and two covers of The Weeknd's songs — under the name Big Tip. The covers hit No. 1 and 2 of the Canadian Soundcloud R&B charts for that week. He quickly shared his success with mom. "I played it to her for the first time (Wednesday)," he told the Montreal Gazette. "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."

Critics were skeptical of the teen's privilege as the son of a famous artist, but René-Charles is not interested in using his mom's connections. He said to the Montreal Gazette, "I could have been like, 'Hey mom, I'm kind of into this music stuff, let's do something about it.' But I wanted to prove to myself that I'm able to do it. Not just because my mom is who my mom is." 

Like countless of other parents before her, Céline Dion has worried about her eldest son's future. In a 2019 interview with Dan Wootton on Lorraine, Céline joked, "The girls are starting to come now, I'm starting to be stressed out." It's possible this is due to her own difficulties growing up and dating René Angélil — who was 28 years her senior. She admitted to Access Hollywood, "If I reversed roles... RC, if I think of him and he comes [to me] with this lady who has kids and she's 45 and she think she knows best, [I'd be] like, 'Take your hand off of my son.'"

Mama bear instincts aside, she trusted him enough to make good decisions. In that same interview on Lorraine, she said, "He does stuff sometimes that, I have to say, I don't necessarily agree with what he chooses to try, but as long as he's using his intelligence and his brain, I trust him. But I'm very, very proud of him!" Along with the good vibes from his dad and mom's love, René-Charles had everything he needs to prepare for the challenges of life ahead of him.

In December 2020, René-Charles took to Instagram to share his new bearded look and tease that music was "on the way." Less than a month later, "Casino.5" debuted. The EP contained tracks "Mamba Mentality," "Money, Thrills, and Rest," "NO Ls," "GG4 (feat. PAKKA)" and "LV," all in René-Charles's unique hip-hop styling. As People noted, his mother gushed over him in her Instagram Stories, expressing how proud she was and noting, "It touches me deeply that one of his passions is also one of mine," while also including a link to the EP.

The Las Vegas Review Journal enthused, "Angelil has produced an energetic, high-velocity verbal sprint peppered with references to his hometown of Las Vegas" particularly in "LV," which is a love letter to Sin City. In keeping with his super-cool new image, René-Charles also adopted the moniker "RC Angélil." His mother, however, seems to have always called him RC. On the musician's 20th birthday, Céline posted a sweet photo of her placing her hand lovingly on his face with a caption advising, "Remember to never stop believing in yourself, because I believe in you."

René-Charles Angélil may live a glamorous life much like Céline Dion, but that doesn't mean that either of their lives lack tragedy. In 2022, the singer revealed that she had been diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Stiff Person Syndrome. According to the Mayo Clinic, this condition can cause extreme muscle stiffness, resulting in mobility problems. Following her diagnosis, Dion decided to take a break from her musical career. While this decision may have been best for her physical health, it likely stifled her creativity. Eager to help his mother regain her public platform, René-Charles stepped in to encourage her to use TikTok. This intervention was also supported by his two younger siblings, Nelson and Eddy Angélil.

In a lighthearted TikTok video, Dion quipped, "I got kids [who told me], 'We have to get you on TikTok and all that.' And I'm like 'What? On TikTok?'" While this idea was initially mind-boggling for Dion, she eventually relented. The singer reached out to her team — who were more than supportive of her new endeavor. As Dion revealed in the caption of the aforementioned video, "My team then said they'd handle everything, handed me my phone, and then quietly disappeared. So, here I am, learning how this TikTok world works ... one video at a time." As of this writing, Dion has 4.7 million followers — so it seems her kids were onto something.

René-Charles Angélil may have inherited his mom's passion for music, but that doesn't mean that he has just one career interest. Unlike some nepo babies who can't seem to stop struggling, René-Charles has pursued a wide range of opportunities — poker high among them. Indeed, Céline Dion's son has honed his poker skills to such an extent that he qualified for the World Series of Poker on multiple occasions. In 2025, René-Charles performed so well at the international championship that he was among only 202 players of nearly 10,000 to advance to the sixth day of the event. In earlier iterations of the tournament, René-Charles did not make it through so many rounds — not that he let that get him down.

"There's obviously luck involved," René-Charles noted in an interview with the World Series of Poker, "but over time the better player's going to win. And that's what I can really appreciate about it. You can't just come in here and expect to win." This sense of humility has spilled over into René-Charles' overall poker strategy. Rather than simply crossing his fingers and hoping for the best, the poker player has done his best to level up his game. As he put it in the same interview, "Studying the game and improving is the part I love the most." René-Charles said that, in the future, he will strive for improvement.

Growing up in a famous family may seem pretty luxurious, but it comes with its fair share of challenges. For Céline Dion's son, René-Charles Angélil, this has meant dealing with quite a bit of interest in his personal life — and a resounding lack of privacy. As the world has speculated about everything from René-Charles' career aspirations to his romantic prospects, the budding rapper has had to face a number of unsavory rumors about his comings and goings. Chief among them? Unsubstantiated gossip about a wedding that never took place.

In June 2025, a Facebook page called Musical Moments shared an article alleging that René-Charles had tied the knot in a secret wedding to a mystery woman. The post, which received thousands of likes, was extremely well-received by fans — many of whom shared their congratulations to René-Charles in the comments. Unfortunately, however, this so-called "secret wedding" amounted to little more than an unsubstantiated rumor. Making matters worse, the images shared of René-Charles and his bride at a beachside wedding appeared to have been generated by artificial intelligence.

Unfortunately, celebrities are not the only ones who suffer from excessive interest in their lives. Celebrity children are often thrust into the spotlight as well, complicating their ability to date, mingle, and travel without having to deal with pesky rumors.