In her revealing 2024 documentary, I Am: Céline Dion, the iconic vocalist took fans behind the scenes into the massive warehouse where she stores her many high-fashion gowns and custom couture stage outfits. On Tuesday (Jan. 20), the “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” star took a moment to pay loving tribute to one of the fashion icons who helped dress her in finery over the years: late Italian designer Valentino Garavani.
“To my dear Valentino, from the very beginning, you always saw me for who I truly am. Your designs were never just gowns… they were emotion, confidence, and delicate beauty brought to life,” Dion wrote in a passionate remembrance on Instagram that featured an image of the pair together. The jet-setting couture king known for designing beautiful gowns — often in his trademark shade of “Valentino Red” — died at his home in Rome on Monday (Jan. 19) at age 93.
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“Over the years, our friendship was one I cherished deeply. You made me feel strong, graceful, and truly myself every time I stepped into one of your creations,” Dion continued. “That is a gift only a true artist can give. Thank you for your vision, your generosity, and for sharing your extraordinary haute couture with the world. Your legacy will live on in every silhouette, every stitch, and in countless unforgettable moments.”
Dion signed the note “forever in my heart.”
Valentino’s body will lie in repose at his foundation’s headquarters in Rome on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a funeral on Friday (Jan. 23) at the Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome’s Piazza della Repubblica.
Known universally by his first name only during his half-century career, Valentino dressed generations of royals, first ladies and movie stars, from late First Lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis to Julia Roberts, Elizabeth Taylor, Jennifer Lopez, Princess Diana, Gwyneth Paltrow and Anne Hathaway, among many others. “I know what women want,” Valentino once said. “They want to be beautiful.”
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In a tribute, Marty Supreme co-star Paltrow shared a picture of her kissing Valentino’s cheek, writing, “I was so lucky to know and love Valentino — to know the real man, in private. The man who was in love with beauty, his family, his muses, his friends. His dogs, his gardens, and a good Hollywood story. I loved him so much. I loved how he always pestered me to ‘at least wear a little mascara’ when I came to dinner. I loved his naughty laugh. This feels like the end of an era. He will be deeply missed by me and all who loved him. Rest in peace, Vava.”
