Patti LaBelle Celebrates Turning 80 — and Reveals Where She Keeps All Her '80s Wigs! (Exclusive)
LaBelle tells PEOPLE she "had a lot of tears" after seeing just how many people showed up to celebrate her milestone birthday in New York City
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for Patti's Good Life
Patti LaBellePatti LaBelle celebrated her 80th birthday with a star-studded surprise party in New York City on May 23, the night before her special day
Guests in attendance included Whoopi Goldberg, Gayle King, Gladys Knight, Sherri Shepherd and more
LaBelle tells PEOPLE she "had a lot of tears" upon entering the event as she reflects on her life and career
The Godmother of Soul is officially 80.
Patti LaBelle rang in her milestone birthday with a surprise party on Thursday, May 23, the night before her special day. The event, held at the Glasshouse in New York City, was attended by guests including honorary host Whoopi Goldberg, Gayle King, Gladys Knight, Sherri Shepherd and Debbie Allen.
Tamron Hall, Andy Cohen, Tameka Foster, Tina Knowles, Mika Brzezinski, Tamar Braxton and Eric Adams were also among those in attendance at the party, where guests enjoyed cocktails, followed by dinner and a party.
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for Patti's Good Life
Patti LaBelle and Gayle KingRecalling her initial reaction to the party in an interview at the event, LaBelle says she was "crying" after seeing all the guests who turned up to surprise her. "Everybody in the industry that I know were here, and I had a lot of tears," she tells PEOPLE, "but I had to keep on my lashes, so I couldn't cry too much."
Since her debut in the 1960s, LaBelle has become well-known for hits like "Lady Marmalade," her hilariously endearing personality and eye-catching style — including the incredible wigs she's been sporting since the '80s, which she still has at home. "All those crazy hair styles. I have a room full of hair," she reveals.
Over 60 years ago, the singer first began her career as a member of Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles — later known as Labelle — and she's learned many lessons since then.
"I've learned to be kind when people are not kind. You always take the high road, and I've known that for a long time, but as I mature in age, I know how to do it even better now, how to take the high road and meet all of my bad feelings and just pray for those who make me feel less," she explains.
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Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for Patti's Good Life
Gayle King, Whoopi Goldberg, Patti LaBelle, Bevy Smith and Tamar BraxtonShe doesn't have a "favorite decade" of her career, telling PEOPLE she's thankful "every day I'm on this planet" and now looks forward to whatever is to come.
"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," says the "On My Own" hitmaker. "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."
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for Patti's Good Life
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Looking back in terms of one event or performance from throughout her career that she'll carry with her for the rest of her life, one moment in particular springs to mind.
"When I did Live Aid back in the day with Tina Turner, Mick Jagger, and it was in Philadelphia, and I sang Bob Dylan's 'Forever Young,' and I got the Holy Ghost spirit and I walked down in the audience, and the floor was full of water, and I didn't have on any shoes," she says of the iconic 1985 gig.
"So people thought I was going to get electrocuted. God lifted me, and I sang that song like it was the last song ever in my life," LaBelle reflects.
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