Celine Dion Parody Yanked from Airwaves

By Stephen M. Silverman

09/13/2002 at 12:05 PM EDT

Don't make fun of Celine Dion.

That's the message sent by the diva's manager-husband Rene Angelil to a popular Montreal-based radio station, demanding that it cease and desist from playing a parody of Dion's song "I'm Alive," reports Reuters.

"They took off her voice and invented vulgar lyrics. It's unacceptable," Angelil, 60, told reporters Thursday, stressing that copyright law prevents such unauthorized use of a recording.

"I'm Alive," which can be heard on the soundtrack of the summer movie flop "Stuart Little 2," contains one refrain that says: "I couldn't get/Much higher/My spirit takes flight/'Cause I am alive."

Among other changes, the parody contained the phrase, "'Cause I'm annoying."

Angelil was not amused. For its part, the Radio Energie network, which operates the Montreal station and eight others across the province of Quebec, claims it was only trying to elicit laughs.

According to Reuters, Angelil pressured the network not to play any Dion songs in the future.