July 16, 2010: Patti LaBelle attending the Life Ball Welcome Cocktail Party at the Hotel Le Meridien in Vienna, Austria. Credit: INFevents.com
July 16, 2010: Patti LaBelle attending the Life Ball Welcome Cocktail Party at the Hotel Le Meridien in Vienna, Austria. Credit: INFevents.com
Febuary 09, 2011: Patti LaBelle walking the Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection 2011 Fashion Show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2011 at Lincoln Center in New York City. Credit: INFevents.com
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 09: Singers Patti LaBelle (L) and Eve attend the Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection 2011 during Mecerdes-Benz fashion week
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 14: Patti LaBelle performs during the BET Honors 2012 at the Warner Theatre on January 14, 2012 in Washington, DC.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 26: Singer Patti LaBelle poses in the press room at the BET Awards ’11 held at the Shrine Auditorium on June 26, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 26: Singer Patti LaBelle performs onstage during the BET Awards ’11 held at the Shrine Auditorium on June 26, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 26: Singer Patti LaBelle performs onstage during the BET Awards ’11 held at the Shrine Auditorium on June 26, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 11: Singer Patti LaBelle performs during the “A Concert For Hope” event, hosted by Washington National Cathedral, to mark the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks September 11, 2011 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The United States is commemorating the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 which resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people after two hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia and one crash landed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – JUNE 26: Recording artist Patti LaBelle attends the 5th anniversary “Creme of the Crop” post BET Awards Dinner Celebration at Mr Chow on June 26, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)
Patti LaBelle, one of the most legendary divas in the music business, has turned 68 today. The singer known for her powerhouse vocals and dramatic sense of style has been an active force in entertainment since her days as the lead singer for Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. She has parlayed her brand of fun and fabulous living into not only a stellar solo career, but also a line of cookbooks, books of inspiration — and even a line of hot sauces.
According to Biography.com:
Actress and singer Patti LaBelle is widely regarded as the queen of rock & soul music. She has received acclaim for many of her songs, including “Lady Marmalade,” “When You Talk About Love,” and “New Attitude.” She began her career as part of the Ordettes in 1959, who became The Bluebelles in 1961. Her success as a solo artist started in 1983 when she released her hit album I’m in Love Again.
Singer. Born Patricia Louise Holte on May 24, 1944, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to parents Henry Holte, a railroad worker, and Bertha Robinson Holte, a homemaker.
A shy girl, Patricia gained confidence through her singing, which she did every Sunday in the choir of Beulah Baptist Church in southwest Philadelphia.
Her hometown paper, The Philadelphia Inquirer, had these well wishes for the star: “She’s kept us entertained for years with hits such as ‘Over the Rainbow,’ ‘Lady Marmalade’ and ‘You Are My Friend.’ Here’s hoping that we’ll enjoy her talents for many more to come.”
We definitely agree.
Happy birthday, Patti LaBelle! Leave your well wishes for the “queen of rock & soul music” below.
Follow Alexis Garrett Stodghill on Twitter at @lexisb
