Before Elton John became a global superstar, Patti LaBelle used to cook meals for him. Years later, he found a heartfelt way to return the favor.

Before Elton John became a global superstar, Patti LaBelle used to cook meals for him. Years later, he found a heartfelt way to return the favor.

Patti LaBelle has always believed in giving back.

During the December 3 episode of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ podcast, Wiser Than Me, LaBelle shared stories about her enduring friendships with stars like Elton John, Prince, Mick Jagger, and Nina Simone—along with her habit of cooking for them over the years.

“I’ve cooked for so many,” the 80-year-old music icon revealed, including comedy legend Richard Pryor. But her connection with Elton John, now 77, began long before either of them reached stardom. “Elton John was my piano player back in the day,” LaBelle said, recounting how his band would gather at her flat after shows. “We’d play cards for money— and they lost every single time.”

With a laugh, she added, “I won all their pounds and sent them home with Tupperware full of food every night because they couldn’t afford to eat.”

At the time, John was still going by his birth name, Reginald Dwight.

LaBelle shared a memorable moment with Louis-Dreyfus, recalling a surprising phone call from “Reggie” years after their early days. “He called me and said, ‘I want you to come to my show tonight.’ I asked, ‘A show? Where?’ He told me, ‘At the Spectrum in Philadelphia.’ So I said, ‘Oh, who are you opening for?’ And he replied, ‘I’m Elton John now,’” she laughed.

“I said, ‘You heifer!’ Oh, I gave him a piece of my mind! I told him, ‘You made it before me, honey.’”

LaBelle still treasures the ring he gifted her during those years, though she admitted, “I never wear it because it’s so manly.” Tupperware, however, remains a cherished staple in her life. “I love my Tupperware,” she said.

“Whenever I made pies at home, people would go wild and always ask for more,” Patti LaBelle told in 2017.

“That’s when I thought, ‘This is something special, and we need to do something with this idea.’” Reflecting on their success, she added, “I knew they’d do well because they taste incredible, but I never imagined they’d become such a phenomenon.”