2016 Billboard Music Awards
Celine Dion, pictured during the Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 17, 2015 in Las Vegas, received the ICON Award during the 2016 annual award show. Getty Images

Celine Dion gave viewers all the feels Sunday night when the songstress had her first televised performance since the death of her husband Rene Angelil at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards. Dion, whose husband died of cancer in January, hit the T-Mobile Arena stage located in Las Vegas to belt out an emotional rendition of Queen’s hit single “The Show Must Go On.”

After the performance, the 48-year-old singer was awarded the ICON Award at the 24th annual Billboard Awards in honor of her admirable career, which includes 17 albums on the Billboard 200 chart.

“Celine Dion has a huge repertoire of monster hits and she personally chose to perform ‘TheShow Must Go On’ as her ICON performance on the Billboard Music Awards,” Mark Bracco, the show’s executive producer, told Billboard. “I think at this moment in her life, the song has many meanings and it’s an amazing choice.”

Dion’s eldest son, Rene-Charles Angelil, presented his mother with the award, causing her to burst into tears.

“I’m sorry for crying,” she said, holding her son close to her as she accepted the award. “I want to be so strong for my family and my kids. I just don’t want to cry in front of you. You make me so happy.”

The songstress went on to thank everyone else who helped her earn such a “tremendous honor.” “You know music has been my passion before I could almost remember. So many people have helped me get where I am today … I cannot name them all. Most especially, I want to thank the fans [for their support]… in good and bad times, everyone at Sony music, my friends, all the people who believed in me, my family, my mom who wrote my first song, my children and most importantly my beloved husband who I know will continue to watch over me from up above. Thank you, Billboard Music Awards for honoring me. The show must go on.”

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