From Childhood To The Godmother Of Soul

There's no denying that everyone is shaped by their childhood, for better or worse. Patti LaBelle has been candid about her conflicted relationship with her parents, openly talking about both the good and the bad — and there was plenty of both.

In 2021, she sat down with Dan Rather for an interview, saying that even though her childhood was filled with memories of her parents always fighting, "they were there long enough for me to learn right from wrong." She continued, "My mother was such a lady, beautifully dressed, all the time. My father was a drinker and a beater." Their fighting impacted her, too, and LaBelle says that it got so bad and the stress was so great that when she would hear the arguing begin, she would break out in hives. Growing up in that environment made her grow into a shy, nervous girl, and although things got better when her parents divorced, it still wasn't all smooth sailing.

In her memoir "Don't Block the Blessings," she talks about not only how challenging it was seeing her parents dating, but she also revealed that she had been sexually assaulted by one of her mother's boyfriends. The memories, she said, were vague, and she knew that was her mind's way of protecting her from what she knows happened in the basement of her childhood home. She described the memory: "Like a slow torture, a fever blister that will neither erupt nor heal."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

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