Homosexuality has always been prevalent in the world we live in, but back in the day, it wasn’t something people were very open about. Even if you had an inkling someone was gay, it still was something that just wasn’t discussed. Although there were rumors about Luther Vandross’ sexuality, it was never something he actually spoke about. Now, Patti Labelle is revealing why her longtime friend never came out of the closet.

LaBelle says late singer feared he’d upset the world over his sexuality

A Man For the Fans:

According to Yahoo! News, Patti and Sam Smith recently appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. Patti explained how she admired Sam’s voice and how it reminded her of Luther Vandross’ voice because,  like Luther, Sam has the ability to move people. “There are voices in this world and once they sing it’s a stamp on everybody,” she said. “Luther did that and he’s done it.”

But when Luther became a topic of discussion, the conversation took a toward more personal aspects of the singer’s life – his sexuality. Andy casually asked Patti if Luther struggled to come out of the closet and the 73-year-old singer didn’t hesitate to tell the truth. She even recalled a time when they discussed his situation and she revealed why he chose to keep his sexuality away from the public eye. Apparently, he opted to put his mother and his fans before himself.

“We talked about it. Basically, he did not want his mother to be – although she might have known, he wasn’t going to come out and say this to the world. And he had a lot of lady fans and he told me the he just didn’t want to upset the world.”

“And he had a lot of lady fans. He told me that he just didn’t want to upset the world,” she added. “It was hard for him…what a wonderful man.”

“He came backstage at the Apollo Theater with clothes pretending he was a designer. He hooked us up with all of these gowns…and then he became my first fan club president,” she recalled.

“And then he became my best, best friend.”

An Unforgettable Legacy:

In 2005, Luther Vandross died from complications of a stroke at the age of 54. The singer’s massive contribution to music, with timeless classics like “Never Too Much”, “Here and Now,” “Endless Love” with Mariah Carey and “The Best Things in Life Are Free” with Janet Jackson, will never be forgotten.