Passion or Profession: Singer

Period: 1968–todate

Dion comes from a musical family; her parents were part of a traveling musical group. By the time Dion was five years old, she was already performing for small audiences. By age 12, she had signed a major record deal, and by 18 she had recorded nine French-language albums. In the next five years, she went on to cut several English-language albums, selling more than 175 million copies worldwide. She married her longtime manager, and in 2000, took time off to have a baby. In 2002, she inked a three-year deal to perform regularly at a Las Vegas casino.