Former talk show host Ricki Lakeis getting back precious family photos she thought were lost forever when her Malibu home burned down in January's devastating Palisades wildfire.
Artist Patty Scanlon discovered the photos in a bargain box at a flea market over the weekend while looking for inspiration for her paintings. She recognized Lake in the pictures and launched an online search to return them.
"I'm looking at this woman and I thought, I think that's Ricki Lake," Scanlon said.
Lake, who starred in the movie "Hairspray" and hosted a hugely popular talk show in the 1990s, lost her Malibu home and everything inside during the January wildfire.
"I lost everything," Lake said in an Instagram post about the fire.
The photos show Lake's eldest son Milo and were apparently mailed to a relative decades ago. Scanlon felt compelled to find Lake and return the memories.
"It was like it was meant to be. It's like this thing in the universe that said you're gonna get those photos and you're gonna give em to Ricki," Scanlon said.
Scanlon posted about her discovery on social media, which quickly reached Lake.
"My phone started blowing up. Does anybody have a way to get in touch with Ricki Lake? I found these photos at a fricking flea market. Couldn't believe what I was seeing. Cuz all of it was gone in the fire," Lake said in an Instagram video.
Lake expressed her gratitude for Scanlon's efforts to track her down and return the photos.
"I really cannot thank you enough for your generosity, making the effort to find me. And the fact that like I'm gonna get something back that I thought was lost forever is really... it makes me so happy," Lake said.
The discovery brought Lake immense joy nearly a year after losing her home and belongings in the wildfire.
"You guys, the craziest thing happened. I can't even process," Lake said in her excited Instagram response.
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