Patti LaBelle Broke Off an Engagement With a Temptation: ‘I’m Glad I Didn’t Marry You, Boo Boo’
Patti LaBelle is deservedly receiving her flowers this year in the form of adulation and celebration. She’s had a Verzuz match with Gladys Knight, did a guest spot for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and raked in the dough each Thanksgiving shopping minute due to her sweet potato pie at Walmart.
While fans have been treated to seeing her in the spotlight, there are some things they may not know about the legendary soul singer. LaBelle once revealed an interesting tidbit about her romantic life.
Patti LaBelle was engaged to a Temptation
Though LaBelle was never on Motown with either of her girl groups or as a solo artist, she ran in the same circles as those on the pioneering record label. The Temptations were soaring when she began dating one of its founding members, Otis Williams.
During her appearance on Oprah’s Master Class in 2015, LaBelle stated she met them when they visited her hometown of Philadelphia for a performance. She and Williams became attracted to another. They dated and he eventually proposed. But during their engagement, LaBelle had second thoughts.
“I think I was more in love with The Temptations than Otis Williams — who was a very sweet man,” she explained. LaBelle recalled feeling “celebrity crazy” and thinks it clouded her judgement. The moment of truth came when she and Williams started talking about their future and he expressed he wanted her to move to Detroit and quit singing.
That was a wake-up call for LaBelle. She called off the engagement in an nice way and noted that she has to sing for the rest of her life, regardless of whether she gets paid to do it. There was no way she would stop doing what she loved.
“I still really care for him very much. He’s a sweet man, but I’m glad I didn’t marry you, boo boo. Now, that was a good move on my part,” LaBelle mused.
Patti LaBelle married before going solo
Some fans may know that LaBelle married Armstead Edwards in 1969. She shared that he was her manager when she was in Labelle and he proposed to her three times. She turned him down each time, but on the fourth, she popped the question to him.
LaBelle and Edwards stayed together for more than 30 years before separating in 2000. They divorced in 2003 and remain close friends. She said they parted ways on good terms.
“I never hated him. He never hated me, We just couldn’t live together—not because of physical fights or anything,” she shared. “We never fought, thank God, in 32 years. We got along even when we didn’t get along! But then we realized that we had to leave each other,” said LaBelle.
Is LaBelle dating anyone?
In a 2019 interview with the New York Post, LaBelle talked about her love life. She said that men approach her all time, but she still hadn’t found the right match. Further, she wants something serious.
“I still have time to find a husband,” she told the outlet. “I don’t want a boyfriend. I want a husband.” The last man LaBelle was linked to was her former drummer, Eric Seats.
