Celine Dion Greets Mourners At Husband Rene Angélil’s Memorial Service

Celine Dion mourned her late husband Rene Angélil with thousands of others during the public memorial service held at Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal, Canada Thursday.

Celine Dion Mourns Late Husband

Dion, flanked by her son Rene-Charles Angélil (above, right) and stepsons Patrick and Jean-Pierre Angélil, stood at Angélil’s open casket and greeted the mourners who had waited hours as they walked by and paid their respects.

“The support we’ve received has been such a blessing,” Dion told People at the memorial at the basilica.

Clad all in black with a mesh veil covering her eyes, Dion kept her head down as she exited the service with her son at her side. She had remained for the full three hours, exiting at 9 p.m. after the memorial had officially come to an end.

“Céline is Quebec. She is an ambassador for Quebec. And this was her great love, and we had to be there for her. They’re inseparable,” Judith Picard, who waited more than three hours to meet Dion, explained. “They’re like one person, and now she lost half of herself. So I feel for her. And he was such a great man, and he was such a great soul. We had to celebrate his life coming here today.”

The funeral for Angélil, who died Jan. 14 at the age of 73 after a long battle with throat cancer, will be held at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal on Friday at 3 p.m.