Patti LaBelle

An R&B diva for over four decades, Patti LaBelle's multi-octave voice, which could soar from a funky roar to an ear-piercing soprano within the same song, was the anchor behind a string of chart-topping hits as both a member of Labelle and a solo act in the 1980s and 1990s. LaBelle began her career as a teenager with the Philadelphia-based girl group the Ordettes, which later became a minor success as the Blue Belles. They traded pop …