Patti LaBelle says she will never give up her career for a man after breaking off her engagement to one of The Temptations singers in a new video

At the very starting of her career, Patti LaBelle won the guts of one of probably the most successful bachelors in the music industry, Otis Williams from The Temptations.

A clip of the Philadelphia songbird appearing on Oprah’s “Master Class” in 2015 has surfaced online in which she explains why she ended the connection although “My Girl” topped the charts, giving her a beautiful ring and the prospect to be part of the Motown family as his mistress.

According to LaBelle, the 2 musical legends first met when The Temptations visited her hometown for a performance on the legendary Showboat club, then positioned in the basement of the Douglass Hotel.

Despite not being signed to Motown Records like The Temptations, LaBelle and her group The Bluebelles were making noise for themselves and moving in similar musical circles. In fact, Cindy Birdsong, one of the unique members of LaBelle, replaced Florence Ballard in The Supremes in 1967.

Among all of the talented and exquisite R&B singers of the time, LaBelle and the Temp founder began the fun and got romantic.

“For some reason, Otis and I hit it off,” LaBelle said, adding, “Otis and I finally met and got engaged, after which he gave me this beautiful ring. He talked about what kind of life we ​​would have and every little thing.

However, their engagement didn’t last long.

The “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” singer revealed that she ultimately decided to break off their relationship due to significant differences in their life goals and aspirations. She claimed Williams wanted her to turn out to be a stay-at-home wife in Detroit and quit singing. It seemed unthinkable for the Grammy winner.

She also began to realize that she had never really loved him, but was in love with the concept of ​​being with Tempting Temptation.

“I asked: Am I attracted to temptation or to the man I want to be with? “I think I loved The Temptations more than Otis Williams, who was a very sweet man,” she recalled. “You know, they were big back then, and sometimes you feel like celebrities are going crazy… and I think I fell into that category.”

Ultimately, LaBelle knew the connection would not work because they wanted various things. He wanted her to be in the kitchen, and she wanted to be on stage – and she wanted what she saw on stage.

“I said, ‘I don’t think it would work, and I said that because he wanted me to move to Detroit and stop singing,'” she explained, before pointing to her vocal cords. “And not make the most of it? I do not think so.”

“I said very nicely: ‘The engagement is off.’ No matter what, I actually have to sing for the remainder of my life,” she added.

Ultimately, LaBelle believes she made the perfect selection for herself.

LaBelle married Armstead Edwards in 1969, with whom she shared over three many years of marriage before their divorce in 2000. Williams was married thrice. His first wife was Josephine Rogers. He married her in 1961, the identical yr he founded the Temptations. From this union he had a son named Otis Lamont Miles Williams. They divorced in 1964, According to to his biography.

In 1967, he married Ann Cain, Ike and Tina Turner’s housekeeper. He later divorced her in 1973. Williams was married to his last wife, Playboy model Arleata Williams, from 1983 to 1997.

Even though the 2’s paths are very different, LaBelle still speaks highly of her ex and has no regrets.

“I still care about him very much,” she said. “He’s a sweet man, but I’m glad I didn’t marry you, boo boo. It was a good move on my part. I knew I was more than that.”

When a recording of an interview with Patti appeared online, fans were shocked that the musician asked one other musician to abandon her career and aspirations. “Otis tried to take Patti away from us!!!???!! How dare you?” said one critic.

Another said: “So she was more in love with the Temptations… further proof: ‘No one will come to you, Otis.’

The line “Nobody’s coming to you, Otis” was spoken by David Ruffin’s character in the two-part miniseries “The Temptations.” The film, which aired on NBC in November 1998, chronicles the group’s rise to fame and documents the Motown catalog from the Nineteen Fifties to the Nineteen Nineties.

But one person said: “That wasn’t in the temptation movie!!!”

Another wrote: “Can you imagine life without Patti’s vocals? He was stunned that he opened his mouth to ask.

It was a great move on LaBelle’s part that she didn’t turn out to be a housewife and decided to pursue a singing career.

Over the course of her seven-decade career, she has won two Grammy Awards, seven NAACP Image Awards, two American Music Awards, an Essence Triumphant Spirit Award, a Cable Ace Award, three Emmy nominations and a Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award. Adding to her legacy, LaBelle was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1993 – a star funded entirely by her devoted fans.