MONTREAL: Celine Dion took a jab at Donald Trump on Saturday for using at an election rally the song she wrote and sang for the disaster movie "Titanic," about the ocean liner's sinking.

The Republican presidential candidate has been lampooned on social media after playing the 1997 track "My Heart Will Go On" at a rally in the US state of Montana on Friday, as a video of Dion performing the song was shown on a big screen.

Dion's management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada, said in a statement on X the use of the song and video was "in no way" authorized.

"Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use... And really, THAT song?" it added.

Users on social media have made analogies between Trump's campaign and the sinking ship at the heart of the James Cameron film.

Trump has appeared on the back foot since Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden in the US election race for the White House.

The former president appeared on track to win back the White House before Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, but Harris has made big gains since replacing Biden at the top of the ticket and announcing Tim Walz, Minnesota's governor, as her running mate.

"My Heart Will Go On" was released on Dion's album "Let's Talk About Love" and the soundtrack to Cameron's film "Titanic." It became one of the biggest songs of all time, selling 18 million copies and earning Dion an Oscar, a Golden Globe and several Grammys.

Dion, 56, was forced to cancel a string of shows in 2023 and 2024, saying she was not strong enough to tour after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder.

But she delighted fans last month by singing from the Eiffel Tower at the opening of the Olympics in Paris.

 - AFP