Chest Pounding Facts About Celine Dion, The Diva Who Delivers
Celine Dion has one of the most bonkers rags-to-riches stories in music history. However, on her journey to stardom, she kept one dark secret—one that led to the most agonizing heartbreak of her life.
1. She Was One Of Many
When Celine Dion was born on March 30, 1968, her little house in Charlemagne, Quebec was already full. There were 13 other kids that had come before her.
To pay the bills for this huge family, her father worked as a butcher while her mother stayed at home with the kids.
They named her Celine, after their favorite song by French singer Hugues Aufray. Times were tough for the Dions, so tough that they had to resort to some very strange sleeping arrangements.
2. Her Family Was Poor
Dion’s parents didn’t have a spare crib for their newborn baby Celine—or the money to pay for one. To remedy this, they did the next best thing: They let her sleep in a drawer. Once she was old enough, she got to move up in the world by sleeping in a bed. This, however, ended up being not much of a step up, as she had to share a bed with ”several” of her sisters.
Life at home may have been tough for this future diva, but it was even tougher at school.
Celine: Through the Eyes of the World(2010), Stéphane Laporte
3. They Made Fun Of Her
At school, Dion was the subject of cruel ridicule for her appearance. Her teeth were fang-like and she was very skinny. It was for this reason that her classmates dubbed her “Vampire”.
Dion preferred her home life where she lived with people who treated her with the respect she deserved.
Family was everything to Dion—but she also had a quality that set her apart.
4. There Was A Nightly Sing-A-Long
Dion later said that she always dreamed of becoming a singing star. She got her first taste of performing when she was only five years old—singing at her big brother’s wedding. But that was only the beginning.
Dion was able to continue performing because of a strange thing the Dion family owned: their own piano bar. However, Dion was not about to let her talent go to waste at the family bar, she wanted the world to hear her.
Celine: Through the Eyes of the World(2010), Stéphane Laporte