‘Fly’: The devastating song Celine Dion dedicated to her late niece Karine

9 September 2024, 11:40

She's experienced so much tragedy in her life.

Alongside her stellar career in music, Céline Dion's personal life has been one marked with grief and agony.

This was long before the 'My Heart Will Go On' legend was struck down with stiff person syndrome, which nearly derailed her ability to perform live entirely.

As we now know, she's bounced back, performing in what was a triumphant return at the 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris atop the Eiffel Tower.

But before her husband René Angélil and brother died just two days apart from one another in 2016, there was another death in Céline's family which impacted her life irrevocably.

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On February 28, 1977, Céline's older sister Liette gave birth to a beautiful girl named Karine, and the singer was thrilled to become an auntie at just nine years old.

But tragically, Liette's life ended shortly, and on May 2, 1993, she died in Céline's arms at the age of just sixteen.

So in honour of her late niece, Céline dedicated a beautiful song to Karine called 'Fly'.

It was a cause for celebration for the entire Dion family when Karine was born, especially Céline who was besotted with children at the time.

Only two months after her birth, her mother Liette noticed Karine was sick. Later that day, she was diagnosed with the incurable genetic disorder cystic fibrosis.

A rare hereditary disease that attacks the respiratory and digestive systems, the lifespan of sufferers nowadays ranges between just 25 and 30 years old. Karine wasn't that lucky.

When Karine was fourteen, Céline's career in music had truly taken off. She played numerous benefit concerts to try to fund a cure - something she continued throughout her career.

Céline and Karine were inseparable. "Karine made me discover something marvellous, and indefinable," she later explained. "Something between love and hope."

As time went on, Karine's condition worsened, and just a month before she died was adamant she'd travel to Montreal to see Céline perform, mustering the strength to make it.

In the week leading to her death, Karine was confined to bed and barely able to swallow. After hearing about her state mid-tour, Céline cancelled her tour dates to return home. Karine died in her arms just days later.

"I had her in my arms.", Céline later recalled. "And I started to sing softly in her ear [the song] 'Les Oiseaux Du Bonheur' and out of nowhere her eyes closed."

"I recall looking to Maman and saying 'It’s happening'. One tear came down to Karine’s cheek... and then she went."

Céline is a strong believer in reincarnation, which helped her cope with the unimaginable loss.

Once Karine had passed, one of her songwriters Jean Jacques Goldman presented her with a song called 'Vole', which was in the French language.

Though it was difficult to sing, Céline recorded it for her 1995 album D'eux (aka The French Album). She later re-recorded the song in English as 'Fly', which appeared on her record-breaking album Falling Into You the following year.

Céline Dion - Fly (Official Audio)

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"It’s a hard song to sing," Céline said. "But when Jean Jacques Goldman wrote D’eux for me, he gave me that song and said: 'Don’t look at it, it’s a gift I give you'."

"I recorded the whole album - except that song - and after the end of this album, I looked at it. And of course, I cried a lot."

"I wanted to sing it. This is something I wanted to say to her. This is something I wanted to give her. That gift," she added.

"I started to sing the song many times, but I was crying too much. It was too hard for me. Then I changed my mind, came back to the studio and did it live with a piano. I’m glad I did."

"Today she breathes," Céline later said. "All she wanted was a normal life."

For Céline, Liette, and the rest of the Dion family, they can take solace in the fact that Karine has now been set free.