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An American R&B singer and actress, Patti Labelle received the media limelight as lead singer and frontwoman of the vocal group, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. Her album,  Lady Marmalade made her popular in the music industry in the 1970s. She is famous for her songs like If Only You Knew, Love, Need and Want You, New Attitude, and Stir It Up. She also collaborated with Michael McDonald for her song, On My Own.

Early Life of Patti Labelle

Patti Labelle was born Patricia Louise Holte on May 24, 1944, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. This makes her 79 years old and loves celebrating her birthday every May 24 with her friends and family.  Labelle falls under the Gemini sun sign. She was born as the daughter of Bertha Holte (mother) and Henry Holte (father).

Her father used to work as a railroad worker and club performer. She was born with four other siblings named Thomas Hogan Jr, Vivian Hogan, Barbara Holte, and Jacqueline Jackie. Their parents divorced because they were very abusive towards each other. She was only 12 years old when her family friend, Jackie Wilson sexually molested her in the 1960s.

Her mother died at 62 due to diabetes in October 1978 while her father died from emphysema and Alzheimer’s disease in October 1989. She lost her sister, Vivian died due to lung cancer in October 1975, and Barbara from colon cancer in October 1982. Jacqueline was only 43 when she died due to brain cancer in July 1983.

Labelle holds American nationality and belongs to African-American ethnic background. Labelle has faith and belief in the Baptist religion. In 1962, she dropped out of John Bartram High School.

Her Marriage With Armstead Edwards

Her ex-husband is a high school vice president, Armstead Edwards. Armstead met Patti after working as her manager. Then, they started dating each other and Edwards offered to her three times but she declined. Eventually, she asked Armstead for marriage but he was so shocked that he took three days to accept her proposal.

They married at the Justice of Peace in Maryland in 1969. Armstead and Patti stayed as a married couple until they announced their divorce in 2000. In 2003, they officially got divorced due to amicable differences.

Past Relationships of Patti Labelle

She dated Otis Williams, an American singer. LaBelle met Otis when he performed in downtown Philadelphia in the 1960s. They started dating each other and even secretly engaged in 1964. She breaks her engagement to Otis because she thought Otis would force her to retire from singing in 1965. She was also rumored with an American singer and songwriter, Keith Sweat.

She was also rumored with a singer, Michael Franks. Patti had an encounter with Freddie Jackson, a singer. She was also rumored with Jackie Wilson and Carole Bayer Sager.

Patti Labelle, Mother of Five (Four Adopted)

She is a mother of five children. Patti and Edwards are the biological parents of Zuri Kye Edwards who was born on July 17, 1973. They adopted siblings named Stanley Stocker-Edwards and Dodd Stocker-Edwards. Stanley works as the owner of The Stacey Holte Love Conglomerate and was born in 1965.

Dodd was born in 1973 and is the owner of Pump Dog. Shde adopted the son of her sister named William Holte and he was born in 1962. William is a personal assistant at Pattonium Inc.

Patti Labelle’s Net Worth

Labelle has an estimated net worth of $60 million which is her earning from her career. Herr’s annual salary is $5 million as she is endorsed with CoverGirl cosmetics and profits from Fat LaBelle Burger’s restaurant chain.

She bought a house for $2.3 million in Villanova Pennsylvania in April 2018. The house covers an area of nine thousand square feet and has five bedrooms and eight bathrooms.

Patti Labelle diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes

In 1995, she was performing live in New York City when she collapsed on the stage. After a doctor’s checkup, she found out about her Type 2 Diabetes. She started doing regular exercise and only toured with her personal trainer followed by dietary changes. Patti even wrote a cookbook reminding her to keep her blood glucose levels and launched Patti’s Good Life sauces.

She took her diagnosis of diabetes as normal and started to chase her dream and participated in the show, Dancing with the Stars and American Horror Story. 

Patti Labelle’s Tribute to Tina Turner

She sang (Simply) the Best, in the tribute to Tina Turner at the BET Awards. Even though she was suffering from the cold she performed a the awards and was criticised for her voice. The BET Awards representative gave a review of her performance to CNN saying:

“It was an extraordinary privilege to celebrate the life and legacy of Ms. Tina Turner at “BET Awards” 2023, Having the incomparable Ms. Patti LaBelle on our stage honoring one of her contemporaries was an equal privilege. Due to the crowd’s enthusiasm, the teleprompter was obstructed, obscuring Ms. LaBelle’s view of the lyrics. Nonetheless, we couldn’t be more grateful to Ms. LaBelle for lending her incredible talent to this moment.”

Singing Career of Patti Labelle

• She was only 2 years old when she started singing at the Beulah Baptist Church.
• In 1958, she formed a girl group named The Ordettes.
• After changing the group name to The Blue Belles, they released a single title, I Sold My Heart to the Junkman.
• She recorded, Down the Aisle which became a major hit and earned the list of Top 40 list.
• Patti recorded an album, Pressure Cookin with RCA Records in 1973.
• Then, she signed with Epic Records and released the album,  Nightbirds.
• Her single, Lady Marmalade received the title of number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• She released the album, Phoenix and Chameleon in 1975.
• In 1983, she released the song, The Best Is Yet To Come.
• She recorded an album, If Only God Knew and I’m In Love Again in 1983.
• She played in the movie, A Soldier’s Story in 1984.
• From 1990 to 1993, she played the role of Adele Wayne in the tv series, A Different World.

Songs & Albums

She is a singer of songs like Joy to Have Your Love, You Are My Friend, Dan Swit Me, Teach Me Tonight, Little Girls, It’s Alright with Me, Music Is My Way of Life, and I Don’t Go Shopping. She released albums like Patti LaBelle, Tasty, It’s Alright with Me, Released, The Spirit’s in It, I’m in Love Again, Patti, and so on.

Movies & TV Shows

She played in movies like Richard Pryor: Live in Concert, A Soldier’s Story, Sylvester: Mighty Real, Preaching to the Choir, Cover, Mama, and I Want to Sing! She appeared in tv shows like The Patti LaBelle Show, The Real Story of Itsy Bitsy Spider, Living It Up With Patti LaBelle, etc.

Books

She is the author of books like LaBelle Cuisine: Recipes to Sing About, Don’t Block the Blessings: Revelations of a Lifetime, Recipes for the Good Life, and Labelle Cuisine 8c Flr.

Awards & Nomination

• In 1985, she earned the nomination of the Emmy Award in the criteria of Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for songs, Motown Returns to the Apollo.
• She won the nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at Grammy Awards for Burnin.
• In 2001, she received the BET Walk of Fame for the criteria Walk of Fame Award.
• She won American Music Awards for the category of Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist.

FAQs of Patti Labelle

How tall is Patti Labelle?

Patti stands at the height of 5 feet 5 inches tall. She has a body weight of 54kg has a body measurement of 34-27-34 inches. Patti has an attractive pair of black eyes and dark brown hair. Her shoe size is 9 (US) and she wears a dress size of 6 (US).

Did Patti Labelle suffer from depression?

Yes, she suffered from postpartum depression. Her friend Laura helped and cared for her like her mother when she gave birth to Zuri.

Did Patti LaBelle lose weight?

Yes, she lost her body weight. Patti also does exercises and workouts to maintain her weight and has made cookbooks featuring healthy and diabetes-friendly recipes.

Has Patti Labelle Mariah undergone any surgery?

Yes, Patti did plastic surgery. She did nose surgery and now she regrets it. Patti did nose surgery because she thought it was too big for her.

Is Patti Labelle related to Whitney Houston?

No, Patti is not related to Whitney Houston. Patti and Whitney both of them are singers and are a native of the United States.

Is Patti Labelle Mariah’s godmother?

Yes, she is the godmother of Mariah. She collaborated with Mariah for the song, Got To Be Real in 1998.