Many people probably don’t know that Patti LaBelle was once engaged to a Temptations singer. They were deeply in love and for a while it looked like they would last forever, despite the demanding schedule of their careers. They kind of kept their love on the low at the time, so fans were mostly in the dark about Patti’s walk down the isle that almost happened, before coming to a screeching halt. So who was Ms. Patti gonna say ‘I do’ to, you ask? Scroll down and prepare to be amazed…

The Temptation Whom Patti Was Engaged To…

Patti’s ex-fiancee is none other than Otis Williams, one of the founding members of the iconic Temptations! Who woulda thought it, right?

Patti Explains Why She Called Off Their Engagement- There Was Someone Else

After Otis proposed to Patti she later admitted that she had to follow her heart and go with her gut feeling about who she should be with. Although she loved Otis deeply, her heart was with someone else. That someone else was the man she eventually was married to for 34 years, Armstead Edwards (he and Patti are now divorced).

Patti and and Armstead were actually really good platonic friends for years prior to dating and it wasn’t until Otis popped the question to Patti that Armstead and Patti realized they were more than just good friends. See what they revealed in their past interview with Ebony Magazine:

Via Ebony: While their friendship continued to grow, romance didn’t enter the picture until Patti told Edwards of her plans to marry. “Patti got engaged to Otis Williams of the Temptations and it hit me like a rock,” says Edwards. “It really made me realize how much she meant to me and I became very persistent. I guess you could say it was the classic story: we were miserable with each other but even more miserable without each other.”

Apparently Patti felt the same way. “After Otis gave me the engagement ring he asked me to move to L.A. I said ‘Oh no, no, no, I could never move to L.A. because all of my family is here in Philly.’ Plus I felt like Otis wanted me to slow down my singing role and I knew that was something I didn’t want to give up. He understood and we’ve always remained friends. We’re still friends to this day.”

After Patti and Otis were a wrap, she and Armstead started a committed relationship. Although Patti turned down Armstead twice when he popped the engagement question, she ultimately regretting that decision and ended up proposing to him:

Via Ebony: “Pat asked if she could talk to me and we walked down to the drugstore, then came back to my apartment where we spent hours just talking. That night she proposed. That was a Friday and we eloped the following Wednesday, [said Armstead].”

“It’s true,” says Patti. “I begged him because I realized if he got away I’d be in trouble. I was scared of marrying him, but I was more scared of losing him. He made me sweat it out for two days before accepting and I never let him forget it.”

Much respect to Patti for being strong enough to follow her heart and respect to Otis Williams for keeping it cordial with Patti after breaking off their engagement. Like we mentioned earlier, Patti and her ex-husband, Armstead divorced after 34 years together, they have 3 children together (2 adopted sons and one biological son), and from what we hear, they too, are still very close friends. Alls well that ends well.