*We have heard of all sorts of “bad” relationships and likely been in some, but Patti LaBelle’s was what many considered the “perfect” relationship, so its ending took many by surprise. For starters, LaBelle used to be a wife to a man called Armstead Edwards. They married way back in 1969. It was a perfect marriage because they never argued. They had been good friends before they married, and perhaps they were meant for each other. However, one day Patti decided they might as well go their separate ways, according to ILoveOldSchoolMusic.
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What is gradually coming out is that long-lasting marriages are a thing of the past. These days it is hard to come by marriages that last over 10 years, especially in the entertainment industry. Yet Patti remained married to Armstead for over 30 years. Armstead was actually her manager before they even fell in love. He asked her to marry him three times, and she turned him down three times. But one day, she caved in. It was her turn to ask him.
“He asked me to marry him three times, and I said no,” she revealed on Oprah’s Master Class. “The fourth time, I asked him. He said, ‘Let me give it a few days.’ So he gave it a few days, and he said yes.”
Patti says she didn’t ask him to marry her because she loved him. It was because he was such a nice man, and she decided she would not find a nicer man. Patti’s parents had a turbulent marriage which she witnessed while growing up. She recalled that her parents fought most of the time, and it was difficult watching them. She rejoiced when the parents finally divorced. She felt they were better off being apart. From that experience, Patti always knew she didn’t want a marriage like that.
Patti and Armstead had a small “cute wedding” in 1969 at the justice of the peace. Beer and hard-shell crabs were served. Their firstborn, Zuri, came forth four years later. The couple lived peacefully for 32 years, never fighting like most couples. But at some point along the 32 years, the couple grew apart, and they realized they no longer should be one. They divorced in 2003 but remained great friends.
“I never hated him. He never hated me,” Patti said. “We just couldn’t live together — not because of physical fights or anything. We never fought, thank God, in 32 years. We got along even when we didn’t get along! But then we realized that we had to leave each other.”
Patti, 77, is no longer romantically involved with Armstead. She was once said to be seeing Eric Sears, her drummer. At the time she was 71 and he was 41. However, she has not publicly come forth to confirm if she was dating him nor anyone currently. But she is definitely happy and feelin’ and lookin’ sexy as you can see from the IG pic below.