Rene Angelil was a Canadian-American singer, musical producer and talent manager born on 16 January 1942. He was best known for his hit songs that he released with the band ‘Les Baronet’ in the 60s. Many people also knew him as the husband and manager of singer Celine Dion. On 14 January 2016, he died following a battle with cancer of the throat.
Do you know how rich Rene Angelil was? Credible sources say that Angelil was a really wealthy man with a net worth of more than $400 million. He earned most of his wealth in the music industry as a singer and a music producer. Managing his wife, Celine Dion, also contributed to his fortune, since the singer is very popular not only in the US but also around the world at large. Celine sold millions of copies of many the many hit album she released under her husband’s management. Angelil was also the co-owner of Schwartz Deli, Montreal’s iconic producing company.
Rene Angelil Net Worth $400 Million
Born in the city of Montreal, Canada, Rene Angelil came from Syrian decent, as Joseph Angelil and Alice Sara, his parents, were born to parents from Syria. He joined Saint-Viateur High School and later College Andre-Grasset in Montreal. He then started his career as a pop musician in 1961, forming a rock group called ‘Les Baronets’, with childhood friends Jean Beaulne and Pierre Labelle. They released hits in the 1960s such as ‘Hold Me Tight,’ but decided to dissolve the group, so that everyone would follow their own individual career paths as artists. Angelil joined Guy Cloutier, his best friend, and they began managing artists. His net worth was rising.
He managed successful entertainers such as Ginette Reno and Rene Simard, among other pop stars in the 70’s. In 1981, Rene and Guy parted ways to become solo managers, and this is when he heard the demo tape of Celine Dion, and decided to take over as her agent. Angelil continued managing her until he had to quit in 2014 during a long battle with cancer. His years as a manager saw him increase his net worth significantly, making him a very wealthy individual.
Angelil had his share of challenges throughout his music career. He was accused of sexual assault in 2000, with Yung Kyeong Kwon saying that he tried to assault her in a hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The case saw him ordered to pay $2 million, though he never admitted any wrongdoing.
In his personal life, Rene Angelil married Densey Duquette, his first wife, in 1966, and they had a son, however, the couple divorced in 1972. He married a second wife, Manon Kirouac, in 1973 and they had two children, but in 1988 they divorced. Angelil met Celine Dion when he invited her to Quebec for an audition when she was just 18, and married her on 17 December 1994. At first, the couple went through a difficult time conceiving, and resorted to in-vitro-fertilization, subsequently having a son in 2001 and twin boys in 2010.
In 1999, Rene Angelil discovered that he had throat cancer, however, he made a full recovery. In December 2013, he had surgery for cancer, and his health deteriorated, which saw him step down as his wife’s manager. In January 2016, he died, two days before his 74th birthday. He left a legacy in the music industry and is survived by six children and seven grandchildren.
