Gladys Knight turns 80: a look back (15 images)

By Wade Sheridan

Music icon Gladys Knight, best known for her time with group Gladys Knight & the Pips and for hit songs "Midnight Train to Georgia," "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me," and "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)," turns 80 on Tuesday. Here's a look back at here career through the years.

Gladys Knight appears backstage with her Lifetime Achievement Award during the BET Awards in Hollywood, Calif., on June 28, 2005. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

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Knight appears in concert at a sold out outdoor theater at the Pala Indian Reservation and Casino in Oceanside, Calif., on August 7, 2005. Photo by Roger Williams/UPI

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Knight sings before the Maria Sharapova. Justine Henin-Hardenne Women's Final at the U.S. Open in New York City on September 9, 2006. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

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Knight arrives for the premiere of "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself" in New York City on September 8, 2009. Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/UPI

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