Vanity 6 Lead Singer Denise Matthews Dies

Vanity 6 had a hit with “Nasty Girl“, produced by Prince, in 1982. At 17, she moved to NY to pursue a modeling career, and in 1980 she ran into Prince at an awards show.

So sad. Vanity, one of the sexiest singers in the 1980’s is dead. Prince took an immediate liking to Matthews, giving her the name Vanity and making her his protege.

Prince’s first female protégé turned girlfriend turned ex, Vanity, has died from natural causes in a California hospital at age 57, according to various industry sources. Matthews famously became a Christian fundamentalist after battling a crack cocaine addiction in the early-’90s, which left her with severely damaged kidneys. After an overdose in 1994, she had to get dialysis treatments nearly daily. She went on to put out two solo albums, which included hits “Pretty Mess” and “Under the Influence”. She also started acting, appearing in Action Jackson, Friday The 13th: The Series, Miami Vice, and the cult classic martial-arts musical The Last Dragon. Matthews passed away after years of battling kidney failure.

HollywoodLifers, join us in sending our thoughts and prayers to Vanity’s family.