All hail 'The Queens'

Patti LaBelle didn't envision a six-decade career when she entered the music business at 14 years old. But 67 years later, she doesn't take it for granted, acknowledging the fragility of life.

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"I think of my sisters who all passed before they turned 50, and so I thought that I would be one who also would ... leave at a certain age," reflected the 81-year-old entertainment icon. "When I turned 70, I said, 'I'm still doing it."

A regal celebration would be fitting for a singular act of her eminence, but to the delight of adoring subjects, there's even more fanfare to bestow. "The Queens: 4 Legends. 1 Stage." tour features LaBelle with fellow music legends Chaka Khan, Stephanie Mills and Gladys Knight, 81. The second leg of their royal concert processional kicks off Friday in Greensboro, North Carolina.

"They're coming to the four of us and loving what they see because we've not stopped. We're phenomenally into what we do. There's no pretending," said LaBelle, the "Lady Marmalade" and "If Only You Knew" singer-actor, noting a tour with a collection of this much prestige is unprecedented. "To come back with the Queen's tour, it's just beautiful."

Raising generations