Ricki Lake Stunned After Stranger Finds Family Photos She Thought Were Lost In Palisades Fire

Ricki Lake is embracing an unexpected holiday miracle. The TV personality was floored when a stranger reached out after finding a box of personal photos that Ricki assumed she’d lost when her home burned down in the Los Angeles fires. Artist Patty Scanlon had been browsing a Pasadena flea market when she came across the vintage images that she thought would serve as inspiration for her next project, only to realize that the “soulful” woman who caught her eye was actually Ricki. Patty put out a call to action on social media looking for a way to reach the “Hairspray” icon, knowing that she’d likely want her photos returned, and the pair soon connected in a heartfelt conversation shared on Instagram. Ricki and Patty echoed many fans wanting to get to the bottom of the stunning turn of events, and they soon concluded that Ricki had actually sent the photos to a friend years earlier and they likely found their way to the flea market through a possible estate sale. They both agreed that the discovery felt especially astonishing in the wake of what Ricki had been through at the start of the year. The 57-year-old’s Malibu house was one of thousands lost to the Palisades fire in January, a tragedy she’d documented on her platforms through the immediate aftermath and beyond. Now, Ricki is grateful to have those priceless memories returned not just for herself, but her now-grown son, seen in the photos as a baby.