Brazil is where I belong, the place that feels like home. They love their family, their country and God, and are not afraid to let anybody know it.

I had said before that I'd never write an autobiography because I've been around, and there's a lot that I've seen and heard that stays with me. That's just mine. I didn't want to do a kiss-and-tell, as some of my peers have.

The problem with fame is you no longer belong to you. You lose your persona and become the object of other people's obsession.

People like Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Marlene Dietrich and Sammy Davis Jr. all walked me down this path of entertainment.

You'll never get to heaven, if you break my heart.

I was told by my grandfather who was a minister that we all were put here on earth to be of service to one another, and it is quite gratifying to know that if I am able to be of help to one that is not able to help themselves then I am fulfilling my obligation as a human being.

It is frustrating to be a Black woman in the entertainment industry.