“I want to be who I am now. So I rock my gray hair because it is a blessing,” says Regina Belle.

Today, the Grammy Award-winning singer Regina Belle celebrates her 59th Birthday. 

“I colored mine for many years, but I’ve gotten compliments from many men and women about being brave enough to sport the gray,” she adds. “I even wear it on the cover of my record. I am comfortable in my skin and want listeners to feel that.”

Regina Belle was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2009 and underwent an eight-hour surgery. The Grammy Award-winning singer said, “I had to learn humility because I couldn’t do anything for myself, and I needed help with everything that I wanted to do; everything that I could think of.”

It had to be a shock as well as scary for Regina. The emotional strain and burden of experiencing a health crisis and setback are undoubtedly challenging. Many of us struggle with disappointment and depression relating to thoughts of our body letting us down. It’s incredible to After being signed to Columbia Records in 1987, 

Regina Belle skyrocketed to fame after her debut album, All by Myself, was released in 1987. A string of hits, “So Many Tears” and “Show Me the Way,” paved the way for her iconic duet, “A Whole New World,” with Peabo Bryson from Disney’s animated film, Aladdin.

Sadly, Regina Belle’s chat-topping success didn’t make her invincible to disappointment. She was dropped from her record label, triggering a string of challenges that would nearly take her life. After 25 years in the business, she almost lost everything after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.

“I went to emergency surgery, and the surgery was supposed to take a couple of hours. It took eight. I bled so badly they had to close me up and finish it six months later; they had to open my head back up,” she recalled on Unsung.

Thankfully, Regina Belle is in good health, celebrating her 59th Birthday. “God was telling me I was blessed. He was putting me in a position to understand that I don’t have control over everything and that he can still work some stuff out.”

Regina has something to say about growing older and being invisible. 

“I want to get the word out that I am still relevant and have something to say.”

If you’re feeling invisible, instead of hoping someone else will do the legwork for you, work on loving yourself. It takes time but learning to accept yourself and feel at ease with who you are, makes you charismatic. Your mannerisms, and the way you smile, laugh, talk, and interact help comprise your style. Set a goal! Goals we were achieving.

Doing something complicated when you’re over a certain age increases your self-esteem and makes you more visible to others too.