Céline Dion Says She 'Feels Stronger Than Ever' 3 Years After Losing Husband Réne Angélil

The past three years have been a difficult journey forCéline Dion, but she’s come out the other side a new woman.

“He gave his all for me,” she tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, speaking of late husband and managerRené Angélil, who died on Jan. 14, 2016 following a protracted battle with throat cancer.

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For more on Celine Dion and how she’s rebuilding her life after tragedy, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

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The night before Angélil died, he called his wife backstage and, with what little voice he had left wished her a good show and sent his love. The next morning, “he was gone to his next life,” says Dion.

Then came the difficulty of comforting her boys. “To bring my children to understand ‘Don’t look for dad,’ that made me strong,” she says. She also lost her brother to cancer two days after Angélil. “All the little things, and the big things, they have to make you stronger,” says the star. “Otherwise you don’t understand the meaning of life itself.”

But at 51 Dion is proud to say, “I’m the boss now.”

source: people.com