Patti Labelle has some explaining to do — well, at least according to her fans.
The 77-year-old, who began her career in the early 1960s as the lead singer of the group the the Blue Belles before venturing off to her solo endeavors in 1977, made headlines on April 12 following a glam post. The reason behind the commotion was Labelle’s ageless appearance.
In an Instagram upload originally shared by Labelle’s makeup artist Dee Dee Kelly earlier this week, the “On My Own” vocalist was seen wearing a red ensemble in her dressing room before heading onstage for her St. Louis performance.
Alongside the upload, Kelly mentioned in the caption how lively Labelle is despite being 77-years-old. She wrote, “This @mspattilabelle is 77 and gives so much energy and life.” When Kelly’s upload was reposted on the social media blog site The Neighborhood Talk, many were left speechless over how youthful the singer looked. One individual went as far as to say Labelle looked like she was in her early 40s.
“Auntie looks TF good you hear me!!!!”
“This crazy, she looking she’s in her early 40s.”
“Come on auntie black don’t crack baby!!”
“This woman is not aging.”
“Grace, favor, and black definitely don’t crack! Aging fiercely!”
In addition to the compliments, others demonstrated their shock by mentioning Labelle’s age. One wrote, “Wow!!! This woman is 77.” Another said, “77-years-old looking better than some young people!” A third Instagram user stated, “The fact she is almost 80-years-old!!! Black don’t crack!”
In 2017 during an interview with Prevention, Labelle disclosed how she maintained her youthful features following her diabetes diagnosis.
Labelle told the publication that aside from cooking her own meals, she incorporates “a lot of exercising.” She said, “I do a lot of exercising — walking my dog and getting in the short end of the pool and walking because I can’t swim. I have fun playing cards on the weekends, so that’s a lot of exercise for my arms. And if music comes on that I like, I dance.”
