The power of love. Celine Dion made an emotional return to the Las Vegas stage on Thursday, Aug. 27, amid her husband Rene Angelil’s throat cancer battle. Prior to the show, the “My Heart Will Go On” singer opened up about her family and how they are dealing with the heartbreaking obstacle during a press conference.

Dion shares three children — Rene-Charles, 14, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 4 — with her former longtime manager, whom she wed in 1994. Recently, Dion said that Angelil, 73, hopes to die in her arms when the time comes.

“I’m trying really hard to show my children that sickness and things happen in life. You cannot be crying and be depressed and consistently talk about, ‘Oh my God,’” Dion, 47, told Us Weekly and other reporters before the show. “Rene Charles is going to be 15 years old soon. He’s a wonderful young man. He’s entered his teenage years and sometimes we can go really crazy, for some teenagers, but so far so good. I have tremendous respect for my oldest, Rene Charles, because he’s showing strength to see his dad this way because he’s been his anchor. When he was younger he knew his dad was older but they bonded a lot. I’m sure it’s hard for him.”

She continued: “Unfortunately there’s a lot of people struggling with battles. When you have family around I think it helps tremendously.”

Dion went on hiatus from her Las Vegas residency last August in order to take care of her ailing husband. On Thursday night, she raved about her longtime love and noted that he was watching the press conference from home.

“My love, we love you. Lots of strength tonight,” she said, looking into the cameras. “Promise me something. Just enjoy. Just enjoy. Just let it go. We love you.”

She added to Us: “He doesn’t stop amazing me. I’m being heard through my interviews, through my songs. This is his time to be heard. This is his way. It’s going to be his way and it’s going to be the way he wants it to be.”

The “It’s All Coming Back to Me” singer continued to spread the love and positivity during her packed concert. At one point, she even shared personal family photos on the big screen while singing “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face.” An onlooker tells Us that images of a healthy-looking Angelil received an overwhelming amount of applause.

“It’s good to be back, especially tonight. I have missed you very much,” Dion told her fans. “But I did not miss your love, because I knew it was with me. You have helped all of us to get here tonight and we are going to thank you the best way we can. We are going to sing for you. Have some laughs, some memories and go to a few new places if that’s okay with you. You were with me, stayed with me, and once again you are still here. Let’s do this. Let’s go all the way back.”