LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Canadian singer Celine Dion has cancelled her weekend concerts in Las Vegas following the death of her husband, with a stage return set for next month, her official website said.

Rene Angelil, who discovered the Canadian pop diva and managed her career, died on Thursday at age 73 after a struggle with cancer.

Dion had been scheduled to perform on Saturday and Sunday at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

"With heavy hearts, we regret to inform you that Celine performances... have been cancelled," her website celineinvegas.com said on Thursday.

"Celine will return to The Colosseum on February 23 to resume performances."

Dion and Angelil were married in 1994, when she was 26 and he was twice her age.

The two first met in 1980 when Dion was just 12 and had recorded a demo tape with her mother, which they sent to Angelil.

The talent agent was so struck by her voice that he signed her to an exclusive management contract, mortgaging his house to finance her debut album.

By the 1990s, Dion was one of the English-speaking world's biggest divas.

The couple have three children: Rene-Charles born in 2001 and twins Nelson and Eddy born in 2010.