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Emotional Celine Dion returns to stage to honour late husband: 'I feel his love in this room'

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Gemma Strong
Online Digital News Director
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Three weeks after René Angélil passed away, Celine Dion returned to The Colosseum stage at Caesars Palace to honour her beloved late husband. "This is my home away from home," the tearful star told the audience at Wednesday's memorial service. "At the same time I'm supposed to feel extremely comfortable being home and right now I'm not sure how comfortable I feel. "The five-time Grammy winner, who was the final speaker at the memorial, then said of her husband: "I feel his love in the room. I feel his strength and his warmth being reflected in all of you. René always surrounded me with the best people who believed in us and always worked so hard on our behalf."

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Celine Dion paid tribute to her late husband at the memorial

Towards the end of her speech, emotions understandably ran high. "On behalf of my family, thank you again for being here with us this evening for this beautiful tribute to mon amour," Celine said through her tears. "René, I love you, so much. Merci, good night. "René passed away on 14 January, just two days before his 74th birthday. A few hours before the memorial took place, Celine – who was René's partner both professionally and personally – shared a sweet throwback photo of the couple, which showed them in a loving embrace.

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The emotional star on stage with her eldest son René-Charles

Celine has been grieving in private with the couple's three sons, René-Charles, 15, and five-year-old twins Eddy and Nelson, but she penned an emotional open letter to her fans on Friday, thanking them for their support. "My family and I are deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support from so many people who have touched our lives during these past few days," she wrote. "We have felt your love for René, and your prayers and compassion have helped us during this most difficult time… more than you'll ever know. I thank you from the bottom of my heart."Click here to see the memorial service

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