Patti LaBelle is an American singer and actress who has had an illustrious career spanning five decades. She started out singing as part of a group called The Bluebelles in the early 1960s, and achieved her first solo hit with "If Only You Knew" in 1983. Since then, she has released many successful R&B, pop, and gospel albums, including the Grammy-winning Gem Beauty, Flame, and The Gospel According to Patti LaBelle.

LaBelle has also had an extensive acting career, appearing in movies like A Soldier's Story, A Rage in Harlem, and How to Make an American Quilt, and in television shows like American Dreams, Living Single, and American Horror Story: Freak Show. She has also been a successful entrepreneur, launching her own line of food products and perfume. In 2020, LaBelle was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then President Obama.