René-Charles Angélil celebrated a milestone birthday on Jan. 25 when he turned 21 years old. The birthday boy is the eldest son of Celine Dion and her late husband, René Angélil. The singer took to Instagram on his big day to share a throwback photo of the day René-Charles was born. In the pic, she’s holding him in her arms while René is crouched over them, with both proud parents gazing at their son.
In addition to the loving photo, the singer also posted a lovely tribute to her boy. “Twenty one years of dreams have already passed,” she wrote. “we gave you life…thank you very much for giving us the wonderful gift of becoming your parents. Since that day, I’ve been thriving as I watch you grow. Your intelligence, your generosity, your courage and your great sensitivity never cease to move me. We guided you from our dreams by holding your hand. Keep exploring and above all, listen to your heart knowing that you are always carried by our love, so that now your own dreams can come true. Happy Birthday René-Charles! Have fun my darling…We adore you!”
Celine signed the note from herself, René, and René-Charles’ twin brothers, Nelson and Eddy Angélil. Celine has been raising the three boys as a single mother since René died in Jan. 2016. He had been suffering from throat cancer before his death. When René died, René-Charles was 14 years old, and the twins, who are now 11, were just five.
René-Charles appears to be following in his mom’s musical footsteps a bit, as his Instagram page reveals that he is a “musician” who goes by the name Big Tip. In 2021, he released an EP complete with rap music. Back in 2018, René-Charles admitted that he actually released his first songs without telling his famous mother first. “I just felt like keeping it on the low,” he explained. “But she loved it. She was kind of stunned at first because she’d never heard anything from me. But she’s very supportive of my passion for this.”