Celine Dion proved that she deserved that Billboard Icon Award when she gave a powerful performance of Queen's The Show Must Go On at the Billboard Music Awards Sunday night.
Merely four months after the devastating loss of both her husband Rene Angelil and her brother Daniel Dion to cancer, Dion moved us to tears with her live TV comeback after returning to her Las Vegas residency in February. She was accompanied by a soaring orchestra and violinist Lindsey Stirling in a stunning rendition of the Queen classic.
She stayed on the stage to accept her Icon Award, with a surprise appearance from her son Rene Charles Angelil, whose presentation of the award nearly moved her to tears.
Holding back her tears, she turned away from the audience, saying, "I want to be so strong for my family and my kids and I didn’t expect that." She asked her son to stay with her as she made her acceptance speech, holding his hand as she thanked her fans, Sony Music, her producers and her friends.
"This is such a tremendous honor, of course," Dion said. "Music has been a tremendous passion since before almost I can remember. So many people helped me get to where I am today. I cannot name them all, I hope they will surely recognize themselves. Most especially I want to thank the fans for traveling through music with me in good and bad times."
She went on to list her family and thanked her mom for writing her first song, as well as her children. "Most importantly," she added, beginning to choke up, "my beloved husband who I know will continue to watch me from up above."
Speaking a personal message to her husband in French, she concluded, "Honey, this one’s for you. The show must go on."
