Acclaimed soul singer and Christmas holiday icon Darlene Love has a gift for staying young.
Love, who stopped by TODAY on July 24 to promote her upcoming documentary βDarlene Love: I Know Where Iβve Been,β will be turning 85 years old on July 26. The songstress, who still continues to perform live, has opened up in the past about the many keys to her remarkably active lifestyle. But one of the most important secrets boils down to a particular mindset, she said on the show.
βYou know what?β she told TODAYβs Al Roker, Dylan Dreyer and Savannah Sellers. βI love life!β
Love also joked on the show that her youthfulness sometimes makes for awkward moments while out with family.
βI have a son who is 65,β Love said. βAnd they think theyβre my boyfriends.β
The octogenarian has been lighting up the stage and screen for decades now. Born Darlene Wright, Love first got a taste of fame as a member of 1960s background vocals girl group The Blossoms. As part of the successful trio, Love sang with big acts like Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Dionne Warwick and many more. The three, which included Fanita James, and Jean King, even provided backing vocals to the Halloween hit βThe Monster Mash.β
Love would go on to further make a name for herself with her 1963 classic βChristmas (Baby Please Come Home),β a track that is often in regular rotation around the holidays. Her extensive decadeslong body of work landed her a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.
Loveβs talents extended to the silver screen as well. She played main character Roger Murtaughβs wife, Trish, in the βLethal Weaponβ film series. Sheβs also graced the Broadway stage as Motormouth Maybelle in βHairspray.β
The soon-to-be-85-year-old doesnβt appear to be slowing down, either. And sheβs been known for not only her electrifying performances, but also for doing them in 6-inch stilettos. For the multi-hyphenate, sheβs said her youthfulness has to do with several factors, including a whole lot of rest.
βSleep a minimum of six to eight hours. Your rest is very important because this profession is very grueling,β Love told the Digital Journal in a 2025 interview ahead of her Christmas tour later that year. βThey say our 90-minute set is equivalent of a man working eight hours; thatβs the amount of energy we expel,β
She also underscores the importance of staying active.
βYou have to take care of your body, and Iβve always done that,β Love told the Digital Journal. βRight now, Iβll be 84 in a few weeks, I get up at 5 a.m. five days a week and I do a kickboxing class.β
Love also told the outlet that sometimes, she even walks the length of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge in Rockland County, New York, where she lives.
βYou really do have to keep yourself active,β she said. βEven when you are not working, you canβt just sit around and do nothing.β
Love has said in the past, sheβs just thankful to be able to continue to do what she loves β performing.
βI thank God every day for my health, the fact that I still have my voice π€, I can walk, talk, and move like Iβm in my 40s (okay, maybe 50s π)β Love wrote in a social media post in celebration of her 84th birthday. βWhether itβs good genes, pure luck, or just taking care of myself, Iβm not questioning it. Iβm just grateful ππ½β