Patti LaBelle and Cyndi Lauper Have the Sweetest Friendship! A Look at the Long-Standing Bond Between the Two Divas
'She's not a phony. She's Cyndi'—see what LaBelle has to say about her 'spunky' BFF
You likely know that Patti LaBelle and Cyndi Lauper are both iconic divas who can belt it out like nobody’s business, but it might surprise you to learn that the two veteran performers share a special bond.
In an interview for the cover of Woman’s World‘s print magazine last year, LaBelle revealed that she and Lauper go way back, saying, “I’m her son’s godmother. She’s been my friend for many, many years.” Here’s a look at their fabulous friendship and the powerhouse performances they’ve given together.
A friendship for the ages
LaBelle and Lauper have been besties for four decades, and they first performed together on The Patti LaBelle Show TV special in 1985, singing two of their most beloved songs, “Lady Marmalade” and “Time After Time” (and both wearing eye-catching outfits, of course). At the time, LaBelle was already a longtime star, while Lauper had released her debut album the previous year and was quickly rising up the ranks—but as you can see from their dynamic duet, there was no competition between them. In fact, Lauper even gave LaBelle a cake to celebrate her first No. 1 single, “On My Own,” in 1986!
The friendship between the two stars grew from there, and they became so close that LaBelle ended up being a crucial part of Lauper’s 1991 wedding to actor David Thornton, and an honorary family member later on.
As LaBelle explained, “She got married and I sang at her wedding and Little Richard performed at their ceremony, believe it or not. And since then, we’ve become close, really close friends, and I talked to her periodically. About two weeks ago we spoke.”
When Lauper had her son, Declyn, in 1997, she chose LaBelle to be his godmother.
Patti LaBelle and Cyndi Lauper’s musical collaborations
LaBelle and Lauper continued to perform together over the years, sharing the stage at a 1989 AIDS benefit hosted by another legendary singer, Dionne Warwick, and the 2004 VH1 “Divas” benefit for the Save The Music Foundation. In 2019, they performed a cover of the Gloria Estefan song “Reach” at the Gershwin Prize event honoring the musician.
LaBelle pays tribute to Lauper’s artistry
LaBelle sees Lauper as an underappreciated innovator, and said, “She’s one of those great, great performers that I think she doesn’t get the credit that she deserves.” She was also featured in the 2024 Cyndi Lauper documentary Let the Canary Sing, and in her appearance, she called “Time After Time” one of her “favorite songs ever.”
In her Woman’s World cover story, LaBelle said she loves Lauper because, “She’s spunky. She does what she wants and she doesn’t care if people love it or not. She’s just going to be herself. She’s not a pretender. She’s not a phony. She’s Cyndi.”
We love Cyndi Lauper for the same reasons, and we admire the sweet and supportive friendship that she and Patti LaBelle have had for so many years.
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