Celine Dion on Rene Angelil's final days: 'We were living in hope'

LAS VEGAS, May 17 (UPI) -- Celine Dion is opening up about husband Rene Angelil's final days.

The 48-year-old Canadian singer revealed her last words to her late spouse in an interview with Good Morning America scheduled to air Wednesday. Angélil died of cancer at age 73 in January.

"[I told him], 'You were worrying for my career. You were worrying for the children. You were worrying for everything. It's enough. Do you trust me? Please do,'" Dion recalled.

"'Trust me. The kids are fine. I'm fine. I promise you we're gonna be okay. Please leave in peace. I don't want you to worry,'" the singer reassured her husband.

Angélil served as Dion's manager for over a decade before marrying her in 1994. The couple share 14-year-old Rene-Charles and 5-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy, and Dion used the movie Up to explain Angélil's death to her younger sons.

"Before I told them that their dad was not there, I talked about when we, everybody, gets sick," she said. "Then I said, 'Do you remember the movie Up?' ... I said, 'You know, today Papa went up because Papa was very sick.'"

Angélil was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 1999, the start of "a long, long journey" Dion discussed in the May 30 issue of People. The couple grew increasingly aware Angelil's death was near after his cancer returned in 2014.

"We were living in hope, knowing that there's no hope," she shared. "There were times when I was very, very scared and he's write me, 'The end is near, I feel it' ... Now I know it's possible for someone dying to feel it when it comes."

Dion canceled Las Vegas residency shows immediately following Angelil's death, but returned to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in February. The singer is still struggling with her loss, but told People her husband "always insisted the show must go on."

"You know what, I'm 48 years old and I lost the love of my life," she said. "I miss him a lot from when he was great but not when he was suffering. I cannot be selfish. You have to let people go. I feel at peace."

Dion last released the album Loved Me Back to Life in 2013. She kicked off her Las Vegas residency in 2011 and will continue to perform at The Colosseum through 2019.