Patti LaBelle turns 60 with surprise bash in New York

Jet, June 21, 2004

When Patti LaBelle spoke to JET a few months ago, she said that she wanted to spend her 60th birthday with a quiet evening at home with 60 very special guests (JET, April 19).

She recently got part of her wish and then some. LaBelle turned a year older with more than 200 of her very special friends during an anything-but-quiet, star-studded surprise birthday party.

The lavish New York bash was hosted by Denise Rich, the acclaimed songwriter who is one of LaBelle's longtime friends, at Rich's Fifth Avenue penthouse.

Wearing a black Donna Karan party gown, accessorized with a ribbon-trimmed wrap, the always fashionable LaBelle was lured to the affair believing that it was a release party for her new CD, Timeless Journey, her 20th solo album and first on the Def Soul Classics label.

Antonio "L.A." Reid, CEO/chairman of the Island Def Jam Music Group, and Kevin Liles, president of Def Jam/Def Soul, co-hosted the celebration with Rich.

Rich also co-sponsored the event along with Bacardi, which provided specialty drinks that were named after songs from LaBelle's latest album.

Confetti Cakes in New York created three delectable treats perfectly suited for LaBelle. Known for her love of shoes and shopping, one cake, made of chocolate, was designed as a shopping bag. Another cake, made like a shoe box, was filled with vanilla butter-cream and lemon curd. An additional dessert was a stiletto sandal bearing the name Manolo Blahnik, made of sugar.

The food was provided by New York's Spoonbread Catering, while Philly-based deejay Baby DST provided the music.

Some highlights of the evening included the serenade LaBelle received by two adorable young singers: Najiyah, a protege of Nona Hendryx, LaBelle's former group member from the '70s trio LaBelle, and Tiffany Giardina.

Guests were touched when famed rapper-actor LL Cool J dropped to one knee to shower LaBelle with a heartfelt "thank you" for being the great woman she is. He recalled a story of how be and his wife, Simone, bad visited LaBelle in her hometown of Philadelphia when he was a burgeoning rapper. LaBelle opened her home and heart to them, which the couple never forgot.

Friends who couldn't attend the celebration sent gifts, including Gladys Knight, Ellen DeGeneres and Carlos Santana, to name a few.

Those in attendance at the party included O Magazine editor at large Gayle King, actress-singer Sheryl Lee Ralph and her fiance, Philadelphia State Sen. Vincent Hughes, NFL star Ray Lewis, award-winning musician Nile Rogers, veteran Hollywood talent manager Dolores Robinson, and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' mom, Janice Combs.