Celine Dion is returning to The Colosseum stage at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas starting on August 27 after a year-long hiatus to care for her husband, allow her inflamed throat muscles to heal and spend time with her three children.
Caesars Entertainment Corp announced on Wednesday that the singer’s residency would resume with 40 performances between August and January.
The singer says in a statement that it was her husband Rene Angelil who urged her return to the stage since last performing at The Colosseum on July 29 and cancelling an autumn Asian tour. Angelil has been recovering after having a cancerous tumour removed last year.
“It was Rene’s wish that I come back,” the singer, 46, said on the 12th anniversary of her first show at the casino and hotel. “While my family will always be my priority, my fans are just as important to me. I look forward to performing again for all of you starting August 27th, and more importantly having Rene there with me.”
Angelil, 73, underwent surgery for throat cancer in December 2013, leading the singer to put her career — including a planned tour of Asia — on the back burner while he recovered. When she announced she was taking a break, Dion herself was struggling with an illness that caused throat inflammation.
“I want to devote every ounce of my strength and energy to my husband’s healing, and to do so, it’s important for me to dedicate this time to him and to our children,” she said at the time.
In an interview that aired Wednesday on Good Morning America, she described the situation in more detail: “Rene could not talk, and he could not swallow; The surgery was major.”
She teared up as she declared her love for her husband, who was present during the interview. “He can’t eat. He’s got a feeding tube. I’ve got to feed him three times a day.”
The couple, who got married in December 1994, have three sons together: Rene-Charles, 14, and twins Eddy and Nelson, both 4. Angelil was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998.
