Vanity (singer)

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Denise Katrina Matthews (January 4, 1959 – February 15, 2016), known professionally as Vanity, was a Canadian singer, songwriter, dancer, model, and actress. Known for her image as a sex symbol in the 1980s, in the 1990s she renounced her career as Vanity and became an evangelist.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

She was the lead singer of the female trio Vanity 6, created by the musician Prince. Known for their 1982 hit song "Nasty Girl", they disbanded in 1983 when Vanity embarked on a solo career. She released two solo albums on the Motown Records label, Wild Animal and Skin on Skin, and had three minor hit singles. As an actress, she starred in the films The Last Dragon (1985), 52 Pick-Up (1986), and Action Jackson (1988).

After years of drug abuse causing kidney problems, Matthews became a born-again Christian in 1992 and later devoted herself to her church in Fremont, California. Matthews died of kidney failure on February 15, 2016, aged 57.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Early life

Denise Katrina Matthews was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on January 4, 1959,<ref name="Jet">Template:Citation</ref> the daughter of Helga Senyk and Levia James Matthews.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Her mother was of Polish-Jewish descent, and her father was African-American.<ref name="waspostref">Template:Cite news</ref> Matthews had three sisters and several half siblings.<ref name="Bossip">"BOSSIP Exclusive: 80s Singer Vanity Leaves Most Of Her Estate To Church". Bossip. February 18, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2019.</ref>

Her father died when she was 15 years old.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Matthews revealed to Jet in 1993 that her father physically and verbally abused her for years, causing her to have a negative self-image. "For 15 years, he beat me badly... I wish I could see my father in heaven, but I won't. He's in hell," she said.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Career

Early career: 1977–1981

Matthews began entering local beauty pageants before moving to Toronto, where she modeled. She won Miss Niagara Hospitality in 1977 and competed for Miss Canada in 1978.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At age 17, she moved to New York City to further her career and signed with Zoli Model Agency.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her short stature limited her to commercials and photoshoots and excluded runway work. Vanity appeared in commercials for Pearl Drops toothpaste before completing a modeling stint in Japan. She appeared on the cover of Nightlife Unlimited's 1980 album Let's Do It Again.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Matthews had a small role in the horror movie Terror Train (1980), and starred as the lead in the 1980 B-movie Tanya's Island.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was credited as D.D. Winters for both films.

Music and acting career: 1982–1993

Matthews appeared on the cover of the funk band Cameo's album Alligator Woman (1982).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1982, she met musician Prince at the American Music Awards.<ref name=":6" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> After learning she could sing, Prince invited her to front a girl group he had formed called The Hookers.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite book</ref> He initially wanted to name her "Vagina," pronounced "va-geen-na," which Matthews refused. They settled on Vanity, as he considered her the female form of himself.Template:Sfn The group was renamed Vanity 6.<ref name="people1">Template:Cite web</ref>

The group recorded one album and had international success with the single "Nasty Girl". They wore lingerie and Vanity's image became that of an erotic "nasty girl".<ref name=":0"/> She stated in a 1993 interview that she was uncomfortable with the image, saying "Prince created the whole Vanity 6 image. It bothered me at the time. I lied and said it was the image I wanted. I did it because he told me I had to do it. If I didn't do it, I wouldn't get paid. I got into it. I wanted the old Diana Ross image."<ref name=":0"/>

Vanity and Prince appeared together on the cover of the April 28, 1983, issue of Rolling Stone magazine.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In August 1983, she abruptly left the group and turned down a role in the 1984 film Purple Rain, which went to Apollonia Kotero.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref> In 1984, Vanity signed with Motown Records as a solo artist and recorded the funk-pop album Wild Animal.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> She had mild success on the US pop and R&B charts with the singles "Pretty Mess" and "Mechanical Emotion."<ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1985, Vanity made her mainstream film debut in The Last Dragon, which featured her song, "7th Heaven."<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> She wanted a role in the 1985 film The Color Purple, but Steven Spielberg thought she looked too young.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1986, she released her second, final album, Skin on Skin, which produced the top 10 R&B hit "Under the Influence".<ref name=":5" /> She starred that year in the action film Never Too Young to Die opposite John Stamos, and in the Neo-noir crime film 52 Pick-Up.<ref name=":2" />

Her highest profile role was co-starring with Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, and Sharon Stone in the 1988 film Action Jackson.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite journal</ref> Film ciritc Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times praised Vanity's performance as "the movie's one redeeming merit".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the film, she portrays a heroin addict, and during production, she was using cocaine heavily. After filming wrapped, she entered a rehabilitation program at a Los Angeles hospital.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref>

She appeared nude in the April 1988 issue of Playboy magazine.<ref name=":3" />

Vanity had roles on numerous TV programs. She guest-starred in a 1987 episode of Miami ViceTemplate:'s third season.<ref name=":3" /> She appeared in the Friday the 13th: The Series episode "Mesmer's Bauble" in 1989. She played a villain who tortured Nancy Allen's character in the 1990 TV movie Memories of Murder, and appeared in an episode of Highlander: The Series in 1992. Her last role was in the 1993 film Kiss of Death.

Personal life

Relationships

Matthews met Prince at the American Music Awards in 1982.<ref name=":6" /> She later recalled: "I didn't know who he was, and he kept following me. I thought he was gay, and I kept thinking, 'Why is this gay guy following me around?'<ref name=":1" /> They soon began dating, and they broke up when she left Vanity 6 in 1983.<ref name=":6" />

She was also linked romantically with Adam Ant, who wrote the track "Vanity" on his album Strip (1983), and with Billy Idol.<ref name="jet">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx had a crush on Matthews for years before reaching out through her management in 1986.<ref name=":7">Template:Cite news</ref> Once they met, their relationship intensified quickly—she fell for him within hours and proposed in just three weeks.<ref name=":8">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":7" /> Matthews announced her engagement on The Late Show in September 1987, and joked that she would become Vanity 6 (Sixx) again.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":4" /> They had intended to marry at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California in December 1987.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The wedding was postponed, and then Sixx called off the engagement in 1988.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":1" /> In his book, The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star, Sixx wrote that he viewed Matthews callously during this period, and she taught him how to freebase cocaine, which intensified his drug dependency.<ref name=":8" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

While working as an evangelist in San Jose, Matthews read about the philanthropic activities of football player Anthony Smith of the Oakland Raiders in Los Angeles. She told Ebony magazine, "The Lord told me that I would go down to L.A. and minister to him."<ref name="Ebony">Template:Cite journal</ref> They met in late February 1995, and she proposed to him three days later. After a one-month whirlwind romance, they married in April at Smith's home in Playa del Rey on the first anniversary of her sobriety.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Smith later revealed that they often argued about her kind nature; she would habitually invite homeless people into their home for food and showers and give out their home number to complete strangers.<ref name="Ebony"></ref> Their marriage ended in 1996 due to his volatile behavior. After they separated, Smith was arrested for domestic violence against another woman, and he was later convicted of three murders.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Religion

Matthews met actor Sam J. Jones in 1992 during filming of Da Vinci's War. Jones invited Matthews to read the Bible with him during a lunch break.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Matthews became a born-again Christian, and stated in interviews that she would not play any more sexualized roles.<ref name=":0"/> She renounced her stage name Vanity and reverted to her birth name Denise Matthews.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She traveled extensively throughout the South with her friend and agent Benjamin Jimerson-Phillips, giving her testimony of conversion to Christianity.

In 1994, Matthews rushed to the hospital for near-fatal kidney failure from a drug overdose. Doctors said she had three days to live while on life support. She remained in hospital for three months. Jimerson-Phillips telegramed her condition to Prince. She explained that Jesus appeared and said that if she promised to abandon her Vanity persona, He would save her.

Upon recovery, Matthews ended her performing career by cutting off ties with Hollywood and shunning her former life in show business. She devoted herself to born-again Christianity.<ref name="denisematthews.com">Template:Cite web</ref> In 1995, she said, "When I came to the Lord Jesus Christ, I threw out about 1,000 tapes of mine— every interview, every tape, every video, everything."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Jimerson-Phillips stated: "I was there at her apartment at The Grand in Sherman Oaks, when she just started dumping things down the incinerator. I grabbed some of the items including a painting titled Tailspin, by famed artist Olivia; a cassette hand painted by Prince of unreleased music; and an assortment of other items I didn't want to see go into the trash. I even had to go down to the office and ask them to retrieve her gold album she had thrown away."

After a kidney transplant in 1997, Matthews dedicated the rest of her life full-time to Christ. She made speaking engagements at churches worldwide and she headed Pure Hearts Ministries in Fremont, California.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="jet"/>

In 2010, Matthews released her autobiography, Blame It On Vanity: Hollywood, Hell and Heaven.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Illness and death

Due to kidney problems resulting from her decade-long cocaine addiction,<ref name="Ebony"/> Matthews had to undergo 20 minutes of peritoneal dialysis five times a day.<ref name="jet" /><ref name="denisematthews.com"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She underwent a kidney transplant in 1997, but her health worsened in 2015 when she was diagnosed with encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Matthews died of kidney failure aged 57 in a Fremont, California, hospital on February 15, 2016.<ref>Lenker, Margaret (February 15, 2016). "Denise 'Vanity' Matthews, Singer and Protege of Prince, Dies at 57". Variety. Retrieved November 20, 2019.</ref> She left much of her estate to her church. Her ashes were scattered off the coast of Hawaii.<ref name="Bossip" />

Discography

Studio albums

Vanity 6

Solo singles

Year Title Peak chart positions
Album

Template:Small
<ref name="Bubbling Under The Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004">Whitburn, Joel (2005). Bubbling Under The Billboard Hot 100 1959–2004 (2nd ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 277. Template:ISBN.></ref><ref name="Top Pop Singles 1955-2002">Template:Cite book</ref> 		Template:Small Template:Small
<ref name="allmusic1">(((Vanity > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles))). AllMusic. Retrieved August 18, 2010.</ref>
1984 "Pretty Mess" 75 15 13 Wild Animal
"Mechanical Emotion" 107 23 —
1985 "7th Heaven" — — — The Last Dragon (soundtrack)
1986 "Under the Influence" 56 9 6 Skin on Skin
"Animals" — — —
1988 "Undress" — — — Action Jackson (soundtrack)
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

Soundtrack appearances

Guest vocals

Music videos

  • 1982: "Nasty Girl", "He's So Dull", and "Drive Me Wild"
  • 1984: "Pretty Mess"
  • 1985: "7th Heaven" (video clips were from the movie The Last Dragon)
  • 1986: "Under the Influence"
  • 1988: "He Turned Me Out", a song performed by The Pointer Sisters from the soundtrack of Action Jackson. Vanity's co-star in the movie, Carl Weathers, appears alongside her in the video.
  • 1991: "Vanity", a song performed by Dweezil Zappa. Vanity makes a cameo appearance

Filmography

Film

Template:Screen reader-only
Year Title Role Notes
1980 Klondike Fever Background Dancer (uncredited) Adventure, based on the writings of Jack London. Vanity plays a background dancer near the beginning of the film.
Terror Train Merry Horror (credited as D. D. Winters)
Tanya's Island Tanya Fantasy (credited as D. D. Winters)
1985 The Last Dragon Laura Charles Martial arts drama (a.k.a. Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon)
1986 Never Too Young to Die Danja Deering Action/crime thriller (co-starring with John Stamos and Gene Simmons)
52 Pick-Up Doreen Crime thriller (co-starring with Roy Scheider and Ann-Margret)
1987 Deadly Illusion Rina Action/drama (co-starring with Billy Dee Williams)
1988 Action Jackson Sydney Ash Action/crime thriller (co-starring with Carl Weathers)
1991 Neon City Reno Post-apocalyptic science fiction (a.k.a. Anno 2053 in Italy and Neonski Grad in Serbia)
1993 South Beach Jennifer Derringer Action/crime thriller (co-starring with Fred Williamson and Gary Busey). Directed by Fred Williamson<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Da Vinci's War Lupe Action/thriller Directed and co-written by Raymond Martino<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1997 Kiss of Death Blair Thriller (Filmed in April 1993, Vanity's last role) directed by Andrei Feher<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Television

Template:Screen reader-only
Year Title Role Notes
1987 D.C. Follies Vanity (guest) Episode: "Comedy Parody" Template:Small
The New Mike Hammer Holly Episode: "Green Lipstick" Template:Small
Miami Vice Ali Ferrand Episode: "By Hooker By Crook" Template:Small
1988 T. and T. K.C. Morgan Episode: "A Secret No More" Template:Small
1989 Friday the 13th: The Series Angelica Episode: "The Secret Agenda of Mesmer's Bauble" Template:Small
Booker Tina Maxwell Episode: "Deals and Wheels: Part 1" Template:Small aka 21 Jump Street Template:Small
1990 Memories of Murder Carmen Lifetime Television Network (aka Passing through Veils)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="EW">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
1991 Tropical Heat (aka Sweating Bullets) Maria Episode: "Mafia Mistress" Template:Small<ref name="B&M">Template:Cite book</ref>
Tales from the Crypt Kathrine Episode: "Dead Wait" Template:Small
1992 Silk Stalkings Chantel Episode: "Powder Burn" Template:Small
Lady Boss Mary Lou Morley Miniseries, based on Jackie Collins' novel of the same name with the teleplay by Jackie Collins<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Highlander: The Series Rebecca Lord Episode: "Revenge Is Sweet" Template:Small
1993 Counterstrike Sandra Episode: "Muerte" Template:Small

See also

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References

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