Patti Labelle and those close to her are reportedly “angry” and “heartbroken” about her portrayal in the new documentary about the late Luther Vandross, one of her closest friends.
Patti LaBelle and Luther Vandross had been close friends for decades
She and the R&B legend had been close friends for decades, forming a strong bond with his family, particularly his mother, and supported Vandross “’til the end” through his health issues, Page Six reported.
However, sources close to LaBelle believe the film Luther: Never Too Much, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last year before being acquired by CNN Films and OWN, “painted her as a villain” and that she was “solely framed as one of the people who gossiped publicly about his sexuality, which he was notoriously private about.” The documentary recently debuted on CNN.
LaBelle reportedly interviewed with documentary producers for an hour after inviting them to her home. While she believed sharing stories about their friendship was enough, sources allege that her interview was cut after she refused to sign release forms, following producers’ denial of her request to view the final cut.
“Some of the producers felt like it was reasonable for her to see [the final edit], but they were overruled,” an insider told Page Six, “And some of the producers were not comfortable including that [WWHL] clip of Patti.”
Vandross reportedly had his mother in mind regarding his sexuality
As Page Six reported, “During a screening of the doc at the Tribeca Film Festival last year, the WWHL clip solicited boos from the crowd. Sources believe they set LaBelle up and ‘used her as a villain when she supported him up to the very end,’ they said.”
During the 2017 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, LaBelle was asked about long-standing rumors about Vandross’ sexuality.
When asked if Vandross had struggled with coming out publicly, the Philly native said he first thought about his mother.
“We talked about it… He did not want his mother to be [upset] — although she might have known — but, he wasn’t going to come out and say this to the world,” LaBelle said, per Page Six.
With Page Six stating that some “production insiders felt that LaBelle had been given a rough ride by the producers,” one source said of LaBelle and Vandross’ relationship, “They were very close. She would hire people to tend to him, take him food and look after his mother and aunt [after his stroke]. An insider also said that “her impact on his career out of the film,” as Vandross founded a Patti LaBelle fan club in high school and would see her perform at Harlem’s Apollo Theater.
The doc does include an interview with Vandross’ songwriting partner, Richard Marx, who was upset with people closest to the R&B crooner who made comments about his “personal life.”
“One of the things that really pissed me off is there are people who have talked about his personal life, people who he considered friends,“ Marx said in the film.
The documentary also included a clip of Vandross shutting down critics who had much to say about his sexuality.
“Questions about my sexuality, well I suppose, will just always be questions,“ he said.
“Let me tell you who I owe answers to: What I owe you is my music, my talent, my best effort… that’s all,“ he continued. “I will neither deny or confirm that any such rumors about personal things like that are true or untrue. I won’t give the satisfaction of a denial because that is a submission of sort. I won’t even address it. I’ll just say, ‘Mind your f*****g business.‘ That’s my response to that.”
Vandross was 54 years old when he died on July 1, 2005, following complications from a stroke.
Footage of LaBelle performing at his funeral is present in the film.
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