Celine Dion’s fans are furious after the singer was snubbed from Rolling Stone’s Top 200 Greatest Singers List.
The Canadian singer, 54, is one of the most successful musicians of all time and has established a reputation for her gutsy ‘90s power ballads.
Thanks to her seismic hits like 'Because You Loved Me' and 'It’s All Coming Back to Me Now', the five-time Grammy winner’s impact as a top vocalist is undeniable.
However, Rolling Stone failed to include Dion in its refreshed list of the greatest singers of all time and her fans have decided That's (Not) The Way It Is.
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The extensive list - which was first published in 2008 with 100 names on the list - spans several decades and genres of music icons and includes many legends, with some no-brainer choices like the late-greats Aretha Franklin and Freddie Mercury as well as some of Dion’s contemporaries - Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.
They are joined by the voices dominating the streaming era, like Alternative Flamenco singer Rosalía and R&B star SZA and Billie Eilish, whose ‘ASMR-like deadpan’ vocals get a special shout-out in the list.
There are also some surprising entries, like Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne. The publication defends its choice, writing: “Ozzy Osbourne doesn’t have what most people would call a good voice, but boy does he have a great one.”
British singer Adele, whose schtick is heavily inspired by Dion’s catalogue of heartfelt ballads, is comfortably on the list, while the top 20 includes many iconic names like Elvis Presley, Prince, Al Green and Beyoncé.
This has made many music lovers question why Dion - who has sold 250 million records worldwide- failed to snag a place.
"BLASPHEMY," one outraged Twitter user replied.
"Burn the list," another fan demanded.
A third person wrote: "oh this has to be a prank..."
"Respectfully, not including Celine Dion, arguably the best vocal technician of all time, in this list is borderline treasonous," said another disappointed music fan.
Reacting to the snub, someone else tweeted: "Celine Dion deserves the first apology of 2023."
The list contains a somewhat of a warning, enlightening people - and music fanatics on social media - how the list was crafted.
"Before you start scrolling (and commenting), keep in mind that this is the Greatest Singers list, not the Greatest Voices List."
Perhaps that's why Dion wasn't chosen. Regardless, fan's hearts won't go on.
You can read the full list here.
Gregory Robinson