Patti LaBelle is the definition of a legend. Her voice is instantly recognizable and no matter what song she sings, it becomes hers. As if her unmatched music legacy wasn’t enough, she’s also an actress and has a successful food empire. On Thursday, some of the biggest stars in Black Hollywood came together to celebrate the icon’s 80th birthday with a surprise party.
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According to People, honorary host Whoopi Goldberg; Gayle King; Gladys Knight; Sherri Shepherd; Debbie Allen; and Tina Knowles were among those at the Glasshouse in New York City for the big event. Ms. Patti was brought to tears by the all love shown to her.
“Everybody in the industry that I know were here, and I had a lot of tears but I had to keep on my lashes, so I couldn’t cry too much,” she said.
As spectacular as LaBelle’s voice is, she’s just as famous for her unforgettable style. Over the years, we’ve seen the “Lady Marmalade” singer go full diva in wild, over the top gowns, glittering animal print pantsuits and drop dead gorgeous classic looks. Her fashion is fantastic, but it’s her wigs that steal the show. Turns out she still has them, revealing, “All those crazy hair styles. I have a room full of hair.”
We really want a tour of Patti LaBelle’s wig room.
It’s impossible to pick a favorite Patti look, but her most iconic might be the “New Attitude” video where she rocks a series of very ‘80s hairpieces. They’re basically sculpted works of art and if you didn’t know this was an ‘80s jam, her hair would definitely give it away.
Then she switched it up and had big soap opera style hair for the “On My Own” video, which makes sense because everything about that song and video scream daytime drama.
Recently, she’s been going with blonde waves and they’re always beautifully perfect. It also feels like they’re keeping her young, but that might just be her optimistic outlook.
“I achieve to be nicer than I was before that, before I turned 80. I want to be nicer in my nineties. I just want to continue to make people feel better,” she said. “And I have the ability to do that, so I hope I’m blessed with a little more love, a lot more love for the world as we need.”
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