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Patti LaBelle’s Net Worth: Her Big Life as Godmother of Soul

patti labelle's net worth. Patti labelle on the red carpet for the grammy awards in a green gold dress
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She’s been covered by Celine Dion, sang alongside Cyndi Lauper and Jessica Simpson, and starred in classic Broadway musicals, films, and television shows.

It seems there is nothing that Patti LaBelle can’t do, and it’s developed into a massive wealth fit for a queen of the soul and R&B genres.

Who is Patti LaBelle, and what is Patti LaBelle’s net worth? Find out that and more below.

Patti LaBelle’s Net Worth

Patti LaBelle’s net worth is $70 million.

patti labelle in a crowd wearing a black top and pearls
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How Much Does Patti LaBelle Make Per Year?

Patti LaBelle has an estimated annual salary of more than $5 million. We sure wish we could say our income was that massive.  

How Did Patti LaBelle Get Rich?

Patti LaBelle’s wealth and riches are thanks to her time with Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles, her solo career, numerous appearances in films and television, and her excellent business sense.

Patti LaBelle’s Cars

Patti LaBelle has owned some luxurious cars, but she’s never driven them. The 79-year-old soul goddess never learned how to drive.

“I can’t drive. I don’t know a car key from a door key,” the “Lady Marmalade” singer said in a 2014 interview.

Many of the cars in her collection were given to her as gifts, with many of the givers not knowing this fun fact about our favorite songstress.

Patti LaBelle’s House

Patti LaBelle has spread her wealth far and wide with multiple real estate properties. Her largest home is in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. The several thousand square foot home includes a patio, beautiful landscaping, and a quiet atmosphere surrounded by many luscious trees.

Labelle also has a few luxury condos and apartments, including one in Los Angeles and one in Eleuthera in the Bahamas.

How Much Does Patti LaBelle Make Per Show?

Patti LaBelle’s starting range for shows is anywhere from $75,000 and $149,999. With that kind of revenue per appearance, it’s no wonder the “I Don’t Go Shopping” singer has accrued such a massive net worth.

patti labelle singing into a microphone while wearing a red dress
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How Much are Patti LaBelle Tickets?

Patti LaBelle may charge an arm and a leg for a venue to book her, but the “Release (The Tension)” singer ensures that cost doesn’t spill over to her fans.

For upcoming shows this August, fans can find that tickets are at an average price of $159, with all costs starting as low as $53.

When was Patti LaBelle Born?

Patti LaBelle’s birthday is May 24, 1944.

Considering that they’re passionate and often talented, it isn’t a surprise that Patti LaBelle’s Zodiac sign is Gemini.

How Tall is Patti LaBelle?

She isn’t the tallest tree in the field. Patti LaBelle’s height is 5 feet, 5 inches.

How Much Does Patti LaBelle Weigh?

Patti LaBelle’s weight is approximately 119 pounds.

Where is Patti LaBelle From?

Patti LaBelle was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Where Does Patti LaBelle Live?

Considering her many properties, Patti LaBelle splits her time between a few places. At any given time, you could run into the “Come What May” singer in Los Angeles, Pennsylvania, the Bahamas, and several other states nationwide.

Patti LaBelle’s Ethnicity

Patti LaBelle is African American.

patti labelle singing on stage holding up one finger
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Patti LaBelle’s Parents

Patti LaBelle is the daughter of Henry Holte, a railroad worker, and Bertha Robinson, a stay-at-home mother.

LaBelle has revealed in her Don’t Block the Blessings memoirs that her parents had an abusive marriage. They eventually divorced.

Patti LaBelle’s Siblings

Patti LaBelle is the fourth of five children. The “Little Girls” singer’s three older siblings were Thomas Hogan Jr. (b. 1930), Vivian Hogan (b. 1932), and Barbara (b. 1942). Her younger sister, Jacqueline “Jackie,” was born in 1945.

LaBelle is the only surviving member of her family, as her parents and siblings have all passed on.

Patti LaBelle’s Early Life

Patti LaBelle’s childhood wasn’t always a happy one. At the age of 12, she was sexually molested by a friend of the family.

Luckily, she had already found music, singing with the Beulah Baptist Church choir and performing her first solo at only 12 years old. She also listened to genres like R&B and jazz outside of church and grew to love their unique sound.

At 16, she won her high school’s talent competition and soon joined her first singing group, the Ordettes.

After changes in initial membership from the original 1960 beginnings, LaBelle was joined by Cindy Birdsong, Sarah Dash, and Nona Hendryx, and the group auditioned for a local record label.

With a performance of The Starlets’ “I Sold My Heart to the Junkman” led by LaBelle, Harold Robinson began working with the group. As he did, the group was officially renamed Patti LaBelle and The Blue Belles, her signature last name official, meaning “the beautiful” in French.

How Did Patti LaBelle Get Famous?

Thanks to Patti LaBelle and The Blue Belles, our favorite future Godmother of Soul became known to the world. The group’s first hit single came in 1963, with “Down the Aisle” charting both on the pop and R&B charts.

They also became famous for such covers of “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” “Danny Boy,” and “Over the Rainbow.”

patti labelle on the red carpet with other stars
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Patti LaBelle’s Career

As Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles continued their career, eventually switching labels and having group changes after Birdsong left to join The Supremes, the group went on multiple tours, even opening for the Who in 1971.

Later that year, the group, now known as LaBelle, released their self-titled debut album with their new label, Warner Bros. Records.

By then, the group had a signature sound of rock, funk, gospel, and soul rhythms that perfectly molded together. They followed up the debut album with Moon Shadow in 1972.

However, when their next album, Pressure Cookin’, failed to deliver any significant chart success, they left Warner Brothers and, in 1974, they signed with Epic Records.

The switch proved a great choice, as their next album, Nightbirds, produced by Allen Toussaint, became their most successful, eventually being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The album also produced their biggest-selling single, “Lady Marmalade.”

By Oct. 1974, the Labelle’s made history yet again when they became the first rock and roll vocal group, male or female, to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House, and later appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1975.

Although the group would release two more albums, Phoenix and Chameleon, by 1976, fights amongst the members and nervous breakdowns ultimately led to the separation of the group.

Fans of the lead singer, however, didn’t have to worry too much. She made the most of her newfound freedom to begin a solo career that’s still active today.

Breaking Out as a Solo Artist

Patti LaBelle began her solo career with Epic Records in 1977, releasing her self-titled debut solo album with producer David Rubinson that same year.

LaBelle quickly showed off her disco sound with such songs as “Joy to Have Your Love” and “Dan Swit Me” included on the album. She also stayed true to her early gospel roots with the ballad “You Are My Friend,” the first defining single of her solo career.

The “Music is My Way of Life” singer continued with Epic Records through 1980, releasing three more albums – TastyIt’s Alright with Me, and Released – but it was time for her to move on.

The next phase of the “Eyes in the Back of My Head” singer’s solo career came when she signed with Philadelphia International Records and released her The Spirit’s in It album, which featured her solo version of “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz.

By 1982, she officially started showing off her acting chops, starring in Your Arms Too Short to Box with God on Broadway, for which she received multiple accolades. She also earned a Grammy nomination that year for her duet with Grover Washington, “The Best is Yet to Come.”

Hot off that success, she released her next album, I’m in Love Again, which proved to be her most significant breakthrough, as it produced her first top 10 singles, “Love, Need and Want You” and “If Only You Knew.”

She also earned a hit with her duet with Bobby Womack, “Love Has Finally Come at Last,” in 1984, and officially made her big-screen debut as Big Mary in A Soldier’s Story.

LaBelle didn’t slow down over the latter half of the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s, using her musical talents to record songs for various film soundtracks.

One of her most popular became “Stir It Up,” recorded for the soundtrack of Beverly Hills Cop, which starred Eddie Murphy.  

She also became a spokesperson for AIDS, taking part in the Live Aid all-star benefit concert in 1985. It wasn’t her only all-star appearance. She joined Gladys Knight and Dionne Warwick for the Sisters in the Name of Love HBO special in 1986. She would later record a cover of “Superwoman” by Babyface with them.

Even in her busy schedule, LaBelle released yet another best-selling album, Winner in You, which became a number-one album on the pop charts and generated an international number-one single in “On My Own.”

Throughout the 1990s, the “If You Asked Me To” singer would release four more studio albums – This ChristmasBurnin’Gems, and Flame. Throughout the albums, LaBelle showed off her growing friendships with fellow musicians, collaborating with such names as Prince, Michael Bolton, and Big Daddy Kane.

Fans were gifted five more Patti LaBelle albums at the turn of the century. From When a Woman Loves to Timeless Journey to The Gospel According to Patti LaBelle, the 2000s were another decade of LaBelle that fans couldn’t get enough of.

When 2010 came around, LaBelle took a break from her solo career to return to the Broadway stage. Throughout the decade, she performed in the award-winning musicals Fela! and After Midnight.

She also performed at more special concerts, including the “Women of Soul: In Performance at the White House” alongside Aretha Franklin and many others. The concert was hosted by President Barack Obama on Mar. 6, 2014.

In 2017, she gave what fans had longed for when she released new music, her first jazz album, Bel Hommage. A year later, she returned to television, appearing in Daytime DivasStar, and Greenleaf.

Related: 17 Best Aretha Franklin Songs: The Queen of Soul’s Greatest

patti labelle singing with other music stars on good morning america
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Who is Patti LaBelle Married To?

Patti LaBelle married schoolteacher Armstead Edwards on Jul. 23, 1969, whom she had been friends with for a long time. Edwards managed her solo career until the couple’s separation in 2000.

Before her marriage to Edwards, she was engaged to The Temptations’ Otis Williams but eventually broke it off.

Related: How Did Paul Williams The Temptations Singer Die?

Patti LaBelle’s Children

Patti LaBelle’s son, Zuri Kye Edwards, born on Jul. 17, 1973, became his mother’s manager following her parent’s divorce.

The rest of Patti LaBelle’s children include William Holte, Stanley Stocker-Edwards, and Dodd Stocker-Edwards. Patti LaBelle’s daughter is Stayce Holte.

Patti LaBelle’s Awards and Legacy

Along with multiple nominations and wins with the Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, and more, “The Right Kinda Lover” singer has also received some notable honorary awards.  

At the 1998 Essence Awards, she was awarded the Triumphant Spirit Award for Career Achievement. The announcement came with tributes from Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, SWV, and Michael Bolton.

She has also received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, the World Music Awards, the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame, and more.

Related: Whitney Houston’s First TV Appearance Will Give You Chills

People Also Ask

Regarding celebrities, fans want to know everything they possibly can. To end our Patti LaBelle’s net worth article, here are a few questions people also ask.

Who is Patti LaBelle Godmother To?

Patti LaBelle is godmother to the great Mariah Carey.

Does Patti LaBelle Have a Doctorate?

In 2010, Patti LaBelle received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Temple University. She was awarded the doctorate on May 13, 2010, during the school’s 123rd Commencement Ceremony at the Liacouras Center.

What is Patti LaBelle doing now?

Patti LaBelle has been living a quiet life, working with People magazine since 2022, with her work also being featured in Forbes, Newsweek, AOL, the Huffington Post, and Parents Magazine.

How Much is Queen Latifah Worth and How Much is Aretha Franklin’s Net Worth?

Considering their similar sounds, epic careers, and overall popularity, it’s no wonder many would want to compare the A Different World actress’s net worth with others in the business.

The answers are $70 million and $60 million, respectively.

These ladies of soul and R&B are indeed royalty of the genres.

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Written by Katie Peterson

Katie Peterson received her bachelor's degree in English from the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth in 2015. She has worked in journalism since 2015, beginning as production assistant and eventual head staff writer of the Fort Leavenworth Lamp newspaper in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Currently, she is a multimedia journalist with the Diocese of Nashville's Office of Media and Evangelization where she writes, does photography, and edits for several types of content, including the Tennessee Register, Catholic Awakenings, and NashvilleCatholic.org. She has also worked as a freelance journalist with the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas's newspaper, The Leaven, since 2016.
In her spare time, Peterson enjoys reading, spending time with her pup, Sadie Lynn, singing and songwriting.

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