Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli to reunite at Keep Memory Alive gala

Courtesy

Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion.

By Robin Leach (contact)

Tuesday, April 14, 2015 | 8:29 p.m.

Celine Dion Andrea Bocelli The Prayer

Keep Memory Alive

Las Vegas will see Celine Dion ahead of her headliner return to Caesars Palace on Aug. 27 when she reunites with Italian opera superstar Andrea Bocelli at this year’s 19th Annual Power of Love gala for Keep Memory Alive at MGM Grand Garden Arena on June 13.
I’ve learned exclusively that Celine and husband Rene Angelil have accepted an invitation to be special guests of Larry Ruvo and the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health for a reunion with Andrea.
“They are there to support the ‘most worthwhile cause’ in the treatment and research of Alzheimer’s and other brain-related diseases,” said Larry.
It will be the couple’s first public appearance together in Las Vegas since Celine canceled a string of Las Vegas and Asia concerts last fall — and also postponed her return to the Colosseum at Caesars until this August, announcing that she wanted to take care of her husband as he battled throat cancer.
I’m told that he is feeling stronger, happier and slowly getting better. No word yet if Celine and Andrea will team up as they did for the emotional partnership on “The Prayer” they performed at the Great Lawn of New York’s Central Park.
Here’s a YouTube video of their September 2011 duet of “The Prayer.”
Andrea has said in previous interviews: “When I speak of the most special duet in the field of pop, I immediately think of Celine, a great professional and a great person who is very simple and who loves her job.
“The stage is a magical place. One can experience something very intimate: the compelling relationship and harmony between two artists when they come together in music.”
Celine once introduced Andrea saying: “I heard someone say that if God had a singing voice, he would sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli.”
The star-studded lineup continues to grow with Martina McBride and 2014 Power of Love honoree Gloria Estefan also making appearances at the gala.
Andrea and Veronica Bocelli have experienced first-hand the effects of Alzheimer’s, as Veronica’s grandfather, Rolando, has battled the disease for more than 12 years. They hope to shed light and raise funds for the disease, and all neurodegenerative brain disorders, during the one-night-only spectacular.
A recipient of seven World Music Awards and six Classic Brit Awards and with more than 80 million albums sold worldwide, Andrea has achieved global accolades as a prolific singer-songwriter and Italian tenor.
In 2012, Andrea launched the Andrea Bocelli Foundation to fight poverty and further medical research and was honored in 2014 with the Latin Billboard Award for Lifetime Achievement. Billboard has recognized him as one of the bestselling singers in history.
This year’s dinner before the concert will be in the hands of celebrity chefs Wolfgang Puck and Giada de Laurentiis. Andrea will be there with his wife, Veronica. He will perform his concert at the Power of Love gala and be honored by Larry and Camille, who are celebrating their 25th anniversary this week.
The gala is an annual celebration created to raise money for the Lou Ruvo Center’s programs and services. Table seating and individual tickets start at $1,500 and increase to a platinum table of $100,000. Full details: KeepMemoryAlive.org.
Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past 15 years giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.
Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.
Follow Sun A&E Senior Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.