This is incredibly sad. Rene Angelil, husband and former manager to music superstar, Celine Dion, has passed away. The man Celine called ‘the only boyfriend’ she ever had succumbed to cancer on Jan. 14. He was 73 years old.

How heartbreaking. Though Rene Angelil has passed away, the love between him and his wife, Celine Dion, 47, will certainly go on. The music manager who discovered — and would later marry Celine — tragically died after a long battle with throat cancer on Jan. 14. He was 73.

Rene passed away at the family’s home in Las Vegas surrounded by his family and loved ones on Jan. 14, Celine confirmed on Facebook. “Rene Angelil, 73, passed away this morning at his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer,” her team wrote, via the singer’s social media page. “The family requests that their privacy be respected at this moment; more details will be provided at a later time.”

“Mr. Angelil died of throat cancer at his home in Henderson while under that care of a physician,” the coroner’s report read. “The technical medical description of the cause of death is squamous carcinoma of the floor of the mouth. We have determined that Mr. Angelil’s death was due to natural causes. No further investigation into his death is expected.”

This wasn’t the first time that Rene developed cancer. In 1998, he was first diagnosed with the disease. He had the tumor removed from his neck and after treatment, he would recover. Sadly, the cancer would come back and this time, it would be fatal. Celine has been preparing for this sad fate by her husband’s side for months, and recently returned to her residency in Vegas back in August, per Rene’s wishes.

After managing Celine for over 30 years, Rene had to resign in 2013 due to his declining health. As he continued treatments, Celine even suspended her Las Vegas residency to take care of her ailing husband. As his final hours approached, Celine assured her husband that he’d die in her arms, calming his fears in his time of need. Celine had to be strong, despite her fear of losing him.

While most Celine fans know Rene as her manager and husband, he was actually a pop singer in the 1960s. Rene was part of the French Canadian group, The Baronets, and they had success translating English-language pop hits into French for the Quebec part of Canada. One his band broke up, Rene transitioned to a managing career. He reportedly first met Celine in 1980, when she was only 12. She and her mother had sent Rene a demo tape, and he was reportedly moved to tears by her voice. As her manager, Rene helped Celine rise to international superstardom. The two began a romantic relationship in the early 1990’s and were married in 1994. They had three sons together: René-Charles, Eddy, and Nelson.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Rene’s family and friends during their time of loss.