At her concert on Friday night, Céline Dion shared memories of her mother Thérèse Tanguay Dion, who died only hours earlier at the age of 92.
“My mom loved to laugh. She loved to dance. She loved to sing,” Dion told fans inside Miami's American Airlines Arena. “She was a musician, you know, she was playing violin. She wrote my first song. Music was such an important part of our lives. It’s because of her and my dad that I became a performer."
Dion said she used a break in her Courage World Tour to fly home from Florida on Thursday to say goodbye to her mom.
“I joined my brothers and sisters in Montreal and I spent the evening at her bedside,” the singer shared. “We told stories, we sang songs, we held each other and we said our goodbyes.
“We are pretty sure that mom waited for us to be all together before departing.”
Dion got word that Thérèse was nearing the end while in Tampa to perform a concert on Wednesday night.
“We got a call from the nurses who were taking care of her so well saying that her time was coming soon, very soon,” recalled Dion, who added that her mother had been “ill for quite awhile and we knew she wouldn’t be with us for long.”
After Thérèse died early Friday morning, Dion returned to Florida to do a pair of shows in Miami. She told fans she was “doing okay” even though she felt “a little shaky” and her legs were “a little wobbly.”
The superstar added: “I know for sure that she wanted me to be the best of myself tonight. And I also know that she wanted all of you to have the time of your life … Tonight on behalf of my brothers and sisters and all of the family, we would love to dedicate this show to her.”
During Friday’s show, a photo of Thérèse appeared on the screen behind her famous daughter as she sang an emotional version of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.”
Je t’aime maman ❤️ - Céline xx... pic.twitter.com/JwuTHjjydw
— Celine Dion (@celinedion) January 18, 2020
Thérèse’s death came one day after the fourth anniversary of the death of her son Daniel and two days after the fourth anniversary of the funeral for Céline’s husband.
Dion is scheduled to resume her Courage World Tour as scheduled in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday. She is back in Montreal for shows at the Bell Centre on Feb. 18 and 19.
Watch Dion's full tribute to her mother below: