Céline Dion Pays Tribute to Late Husband René on 30th Wedding Anniversary

Céline Dion is honoring her husband, René Angélil, on what would have been their 30th wedding anniversary. Angélil died of throat cancer on Jan. 14, 2016, two days before what would have been his 74th birthday.

The celebrated singer, 56, posted a heartfelt message on Instagram that featured a photo of her and Angélil at their wedding in 1994. In the sweet image, Dion was photographed in her bridal headpiece and veil as she stared into Angélil’s eyes and grabbed his cheeks. He held her hips and looked into her eyes. 

“You still fill our hearts, every day. You are everything for us. We miss you so much. Happy 30th anniversary, mon amour,” Dion captioned the post, signing it from herself and the couple’s three children: René-Charles, 23, and 14-year-old twins, Nelson and Eddy.

They first met in 1980 when a 12-year-old Dion sang for him in an audition. From that point, he became her manager, and the two worked together for seven years before they started dating in 1987 when Dion was 19 years old. Initially, she kept their relationship private because she was apprehensive about public opinion. 

“I was afraid of what people would think,” she told PEOPLE in 1994. Eventually, she wanted to share her love for Angélil with the world. “When you’re in love, you want to scream it to the world.”

They went public with their relationship after they were already engaged for a couple of years. “When I was at the age to be able to say to people [we were together] … It was like bang! Love! Love always wins,” Dion wrote in her memoir.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

They tied the knot on Dec. 17, 1994 at Montréal’s Notre-Dame Basilica, and it was broadcast live on television in Canada. In April 2024, she told Vogue that she wouldn’t change a thing about the lavish event.

“This is a moment that will be with me for the rest of my life,” she said. “The dress couldn’t have been big enough. I could’ve had three times the size on my head. I could’ve had six different dresses that night because he [Angélil] was, and still is, such a wonderful human being. He brought [out] the best in me. He really did.”

Four years after they said “I do,” Angélil was diagnosed with throat cancer. In 2000, the couple shared the news that Angélil was declared cancer-free. That same year, the couple celebrated with a vow renewal in Vegas. Angélil’s cancer returned in 2014, two years before his death.

In December 2022, Dion publicly revealed her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis.

In June, she told PEOPLE that she travels for her treatments and “always brings pictures” of Angélil. “And we have pictures, of course, all over the place in the house.”

“I’m still married to René. He’s still my husband,” she told PEOPLE. “He will always be.”