‘70s Music Icon, With 2 No. 1 Hits Including Duet, Turns 82
Patti LaBelle is celebrating a big birthday. The music icon, known as the Godmother of Soul, turns 82 years old today. LaBelle was born on May 24, 1944, in Philadelphia, PA. She shot to fame in the 1970s as part of the trio Labelle and later became known for her work as a solo artist.
The group LaBelle hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the massive disco hit "Lady Marmalade" on March 20, 1975. The song, known for its suggestive French lyrics, made Labelle one of the hottest girl groups of the era. LaBelle scored a spot on the cover of Rolling Stone, where they became the first Black vocal group on the front of the famous music magazine.
"We were groundbreaking, and it was an honor," LaBelle told The Guardian in an interview. "It was showing other Black women that they could do it. But we weren't trying to break a record, we were just being Labelle."
A decade later, Patti LaBelle hit No. 1 again with "On My Own," her love ballad duet with Michael McDonald. The singer LaBelle also had hits with the songs "Only You Knew," "New Attitude," and more.
LaBelle has been called a music diva and a legend. She once told Oprah Daily she preferred to be known as "OG…Original gangster." She also revealed she had an alter ego named Priscilla.
"She is a mess," LaBelle told the outlet. "I am a Gemini; I have so many personalities. I never know when she's going to show up and show out, and a lot of times, she shows out-and then, the next day, I feel bad for the person who had to deal with Priscilla, because she's a witch with a capital B, and I can't help it."
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LaBelle has embraced aging, even in the competitive music industry. She celebrated her 81st birthday last year with a show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, as part of the Queens Tour, with fellow R&B legends Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, and Stephanie Mills.
According to People magazine, LaBelle told the concert crowd, "I have so many people who are afraid to say how young they are. Don't be scared. 81 is wonderful, okay?"
The singer began to cry as she looked back on her career alongside her fellow female legends. "We are such hardworking women," she said. "I've been doing it for 65 years, and to still have people come to see our show, we are truly blessed."
As for her biggest career highlight, LaBelle told Philadelphia magazine it came during a special performance in the mid-1990s. "I once sang ‘Over the Rainbow' for Coretta Scott King, and I gravitated - I was flying," LaBelle shared. "I don't know what happened. It was a moment that I could never explain. I literally flew."
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This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 4:19 AM.