Celebrity Céline Dion on Her Heartbreaking Goodbye to Husband René Just After His Death: I Kissed Him and Said 'Promise Me Not to Worry' "It's enough suffering. Just go in peace," the singer told her late husband By Janine Rubenstein Janine Rubenstein Instagram Twitter Janine Rubenstein is Editor-at-Large at PEOPLE and host of PEOPLE Every Day podcast, a daily dose of breaking news, pop culture and heartwarming human interest stories. Formerly Senior Editor of music content, she's also covered crime, human interest and television news throughout her many years with the brand. Prior to PEOPLE she's written for Essence, The Cape Times newspaper and Los Angeles Magazine among others. On-screen Rubenstein can be found featured on shows like Good Morning America and Entertainment Tonight and she routinely hosts PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly's star-studded Red Carpet Live specials. Follow the San Francisco native, Black Barbie collector and proud mom of two on Instagram and Twitter @janinerube People Editorial Guidelines and Lindsay Kimble Lindsay Kimble Lindsay Kimble is a Senior Digital News Editor and the Sports Editor for PEOPLE Digital. She's worked at PEOPLE for over seven years as a writer, reporter and editor across our Entertainment, Lifestyle and News teams, covering everything from the Super Bowl to the Met Gala. She's been nominated for the ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30, and previously wrote for Us Weekly while on staff at Wenner Media. People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 17, 2016 02:30 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Alex Berliner/BEImages Céline Dion opens up for the first time since losing both her husband, René Angélil, and brother Daniel Dion. Subscribe now to read how she and her family have found strength and peace, only in PEOPLE. Céline Dion held back her tears while saying goodbye to husband René Angélil, a final show of strength to ensure the 73-year-old peace in death. The Canadian singer tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story that after a sweet phone call and last exchange of “I love yous,” she awoke on Jan. 14 to learn that Angélil, who was being cared for by medical staff at their Las Vegas home, had lost his battle with cancer. After Angélil’s nurse called her to his bedside, Dion says, “I closed the door, so the children wouldn’t sense anything.” “I got on my knees and I kissed him,” she explains. “It was the coldest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life, but it was amazing. I said, ‘Promise me not to worry. I’m fine, the kids are great, we’re gonna be okay. It’s enough suffering. Just go in peace.’ ” It was later that Dion, 48, got emotional, crying as her beloved husband’s body was removed from their home. “When they took him away, I chased the truck a little, like it was my kids going to school for the first day,” she says. For much more on Céline Dion’s heartbreaking loss, how she told her children, and how they are all finding the strength to go on, pick up the upcoming issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday Dion was performing as part of her residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace the night before Angélil’s death. Right before leaving for the stage, she got a call from the then-73-year-old. “He said, ‘I wish you a great show, and I love you,’ ” Dion tells PEOPLE. Later that evening, when Dion returned home, Angélil was asleep. “I didn’t want to wake him,” she says. “I should have gone and said, ‘I love you and I’m here,’ but I don’t want to live with that regret. I meant well by not waking him.” The Story Behind the Story: Celine Dion’s Life After Loss Angélil had three separate bouts of cancer, first diagnosed in 1999. He and Dion – who returns to her Caesars Palace shows Tuesday before setting off on a European tour this summer and back in Vegas in September – shared three children, twins Nelson and Eddy Angélil, 5½, and 15-year-old René-Charles Angélil.