She was a soul diva back when Whitney Houston was still in diapers, belting out her first gold record, ”I Sold My Heart to the Junkman,” in 1962. Since then, Patti LaBelle has enjoyed an enduring career as a singer and, more recently, an actress.
LaBelle, who appears on two NBC-TV sitcoms, ”A Different World” and the new ”Out All Night,” says: ”The gift I treasure more than anything else is what I call my `crystal heart` that my son, Zuri, gave to me about 13 years ago when he was 6. He`d saved up all his nickels, dimes and quarters and picked it out himself.
”It was a little clear plastic jewel box in the shape of a heart and cost all of $2. When he gave it to me, he couldn`t wait for me to take the top off. When I did, honey, my eyes filled up. Inside it said: `To the best mom in the world.`
”I take it with me wherever I go-at home, in a hotel or a dressing room- and try to live up to that every day.”
LaBelle is known for her sassy, take-no-guff attitude, so it`s not surprising that she has little tolerance for silly presents, which she dubs
”Oh, Why Gifts.”
Her most recent example: ”Last Christmas I got a case-a whole case, 28 cans-of sardines in mustard sauce.”