"I hope I've gotten some wisdom with the age," she said Saturday at the Palm Springs Film Festival, where she dazzled on the red carpet. "God is good. Life is wonderful. I'm looking forward to many exciting things."

LaRue has never stopped performing such hits as "Up, Up and Away," "Wedding Bell Blues," "Stoned Soul Picnic," "One Less Bell" "Last Night I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" and "Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In" with various configurations of the group which she has been a part of since 1965.

"I still have The 5th Dimension continuing, we still tour all over the world and are carrying on The 5th Dimension tradition of good family entertainment," she said. "People come to our show and say things like, `We sang `Up, Up and Away' when I was in high school.'

"It's also wonderful when young people come to the show who have never heard of The 5th Dimension. They come reluctantly because their parents bring them but then at the end of the show, they say, `Hey! You guys are hot.' They're surprised. Our show is very well-rounded."

LaRue, who lives in Los Angeles, has also carved out a solo career for herself, appearing in the national tour of Broadway's Tony Award-winning musical, "Ain't Misbehavin"' and starring in a Toronto production of "Mo Magic."

When she's not on tour with The 5th Dimension, LaRue performs concerts on her own.

"Of course I have to sing my 5th Dimension medley because that's what people want to hear, but I also sing standards, some jazz."

In addition to LaRue, the original members of the group were Billy Davis Jr., Marilyn McCoo, Lamonte McLemore, and Ron Townson. McCoo and Davis left in 1975 for a successful career, but the group just kept plugging along and scored a minor hit in the late '70s with "Love Hangover" which featured LaRue in the lead.

The original members of the quintet reunited briefly in 1990 for a tour.

"I'm very proud of the quality of the music we recorded," she said. "It is an honor to be a part of people's memories."