Celine Dion Looses Brother To Cancer Just Two Days After She Lost Her Husband

On Friday the singer's sister Claudette revealed to the Journal of Montreal that their sibling had just a "matter of days or hours" left to live while suffering from throat, brain and tongue cancer. He was treated at a hospital in the Quebec city, and passed away on Saturday morning, Celine's publicist Francine Chaloult confirmed.

Claudette explained to the publication that her brother's condition was very similar to Celine's last husband Rene, who also died of cancer on Thursday. "It's very painful. It's a matter of days or hours," she said. "It looks a lot like Rene, he had cancer of the throat, tongue and brain. Our family is very experienced."

Meanwhile a source noted how hard it was for Celine, as she and her many siblings are extremely close. The family released a statement after the news broke, noting that Daniel will be remembered as "a gentle and reserved man of many talents." On 23 January  a tribute will be paid to him, with a funeral service to be held several days later.

Rene was 73 when he died in his home under the care of a physician. He and Celine had celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary recently and the music star will be celebrating her late spouse's life with a celebration performance as part of her Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. His funeral will be held at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, where the pair wed.