Denise Katherine 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 A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive and often synonymous with sexuality. Pam Cook, "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), ''British St ...

in the 1980s, she became an evangelist and renounced her career as Vanity in the 1990s. Vanity was the lead singer of the female trio

Vanity 6 Vanity 6 was an American female vocal trio that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They were protégées of musician Prince. Led by singer Vanity, they are known for their song " Nasty Girl". Vanity left in 1983 and the band was reformed as ...

, which was created by the musician

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

. Known for their 1982 hit song " Nasty Girl", they disbanded in 1983, when she decided to embark on a solo career. Vanity released two solo albums on the

Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

label, ''

Wild Animal Wildlife refers to undomesticated animals and uncultivated plant species which can exist in their natural habitat, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also ...

'' and '' Skin on Skin''. She had minor hit singles with " Pretty Mess", " Mechanical Emotion", " Under the Influence", and " Undress" from the 1988 film '' Action Jackson''. Vanity also had a successful career as an actress, starring in the films '' The Last Dragon'' (1985), and '' 52 Pick-Up'' (1986), and ''Action Jackson''. After years of drug abuse which caused kidney problems, Matthews became a

born-again To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

Christian in 1992. She later devoted herself to her church in

Fremont, California Fremont () is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area, Fremont has a population of 230,504 as of 2020, making it the fourth List of cities and towns in the San F ...

. Matthews died on February 15, 2016, at age 57, due to

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

Early life

Denise Katherine Matthews was born in

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada, adjacent to, and named after, Niagara Falls. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, the city had a population of 94,415. The city is located on the Niagara Peninsula along the western bank of the ...

, on January 4, 1959, the daughter of Helga Senyk and Levia James Matthews. Her mother was of

Polish-Jewish The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Jews, Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the long pe ...

descent, and her father was

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

. Matthews had three sisters, Patricia, Deborah, Renay and several half siblings."BOSSIP Exclusive: 80s Singer Vanity Leaves Most Of Her Estate To Church"
Bossip. February 18, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2019. Her father died when she was 15 years old. Matthews revealed to ''Jet'' in 1993 that her father physically and verbally abused her for years. The abuse caused 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.

Career

Early career: 1977–1981

Matthews began entering local beauty pageants before moving to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, where she modeled. She won the Miss Niagara Hospitality title in 1977 and went on to compete for Miss Canada in 1978. At age 17, she moved to New York City to further her career. She signed with Zoli Model Agency. However, because she was short in stature, her modeling career was limited to commercials and photoshoots and excluded runway work. Vanity appeared in commercials for Pearl Drops toothpaste before completing a modeling stint in Japan. She also appeared on the cover for Nightlife Unlimited's 1980 album ''Let's'' ''Do'' ''It'' ''Again''. Matthews had a small role in the horror movie '' Terror Train'' (1980), which was filmed in Montreal in 1979. She then went to Toronto to film the lead role in the 1980

B-movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

'' Tanya's Island''. 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 cover, '' Alligator Woman'', released in March 1982. She had met musician

at the

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...

earlier that year. After learning that she could sing, Prince later invited her to front a girl group he had formed called The Hookers. Prince initially wanted to name her "Vagina," pronounced "va-geen-na," which Matthews refused. They instead settled on Vanity, as he considered her to be the female form of himself. The group was renamed

. The group recorded one album, and had some success internationally with the single " Nasty Girl". They wore lingerie and Vanity's image became that of an erotic and sexy "nasty girl". She later stated in a 1993 interview that she was uncomfortable with the image she was given, 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 Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

image." Vanity and Prince appeared on the cover of the April 28, 1983, issue of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine. In August 1983, she abruptly left the group and turned down a role in the 1984 film '' Purple Rain'', which went to her replacement, Apollonia Kotero. In 1984, Vanity signed with

as a solo artist and recorded the funk-pop album ''

''. She had mild success on the US pop and R&B charts with the singles " Pretty Mess" and " Mechanical Emotion." In 1985, Vanity made her mainstream film debut in '' The Last Dragon'', which featured her song, " 7th Heaven." She wanted a role in the 1985 film ''

The Color Purple ''The Color Purple'' is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker that won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

thought she looked too young. In 1986, she released her second and last album, '' Skin on Skin'', which produced the top 10 R&B hit " Under the Influence". That year, she also starred in the action film ''

Never Too Young to Die Never may refer to: Music Albums *Never (Micachu and the Shapes album), ''Never'' (Micachu and the Shapes album), 2012 *Never (Mie album), ''Never'' (Mie album), 1982 Songs *Never (Heart song), "Never" (Heart song), 1985 *Never (Jaheim song), "N ...

'' opposite

John Stamos John Phillip Stamos ( ; born August 19, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He first gained recognition for his contract role as Blackie Parrish on the ABC television soap opera ''General Hospital'', for which he was nominated for the ...

and the Neo-noir crime film '' 52 Pick-Up''. In 1987, Vanity guest-starred in an episode of ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs, Ricardo "Rico" Tub ...

''s third season. She went on to co-star in the 1988 film '' Action Jackson'', her highest profile role, in which she starred opposite

Carl Weathers Carl Weathers (January 14, 1948 – February 1, 2024) was an American actor, director and gridiron football player. His prominent roles included boxer Apollo Creed in the first four ''Rocky'' films (1976–1985), Colonel Al Dillon in ''Predat ...

, Craig T. Nelson, and

Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress and film producer. Known for primarily playing femmes fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the ...

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

of ''The Chicago Sun-Times'' gave a negative review to ''Action Jackson'', but praised Vanity's performance as "the movie’s one redeeming merit". She also appeared nude in the April 1988 issue of ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'' magazine. Vanity had a role on numerous TV programs. She appeared in '' Friday the 13th: The Series'' in the episode entitled "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 film ''Kiss of Death'' in 1993.

Personal life

Relationships

Matthews attended the American Music Awards where she met Prince in January 1982; they then began dating shortly after. She was also linked romantically to

Adam Ant Stuart Leslie Goddard (born 3 November 1954), known professionally as Adam Ant, is an English singer, musician, and actor. He gained popularity as the lead singer of new wave group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring 10 UK ...

, who wrote the track "Vanity" about her on his 1983 ''

Strip Strip, Strips or Stripping may refer to: Places * Aouzou Strip, a strip of land following the northern border of Chad that had been claimed and occupied by Libya * Caprivi Strip, narrow strip of land extending from the Okavango Region of Nami ...

'' album, and

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Idol achieved fame in the 1970s on the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of Generation X ...

. During an appearance on ''

The Late Show (1986 talk show) ''The Late Show'' is an American late-night talk show and the first television program broadcast on the then-new Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Network. Hosted by comic actress Joan Rivers, it debuted on October 9, 1986, under the title ''The Lat ...

'' in 1987, Matthews announced that she and

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sol ...

bassist

Nikki Sixx Nikki Sixx (born Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna Jr.; December 11, 1958) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and radio personality, best known as the co-founder, bassist, primary songwriter, and only constant member of the hea ...

were engaged. She often joked that she would become Vanity 6 (Sixx) again. In his memoir, '' The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star'', Sixx detailed their volatile relationship and drug use. He stated that Vanity taught him how to freebase cocaine. On her first anniversary of sobriety, Matthews married football player Anthony Smith of the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

in 1995. While working as an evangelist in San Jose, she read about Smith's philanthropic activities in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. "The Lord told me that I would go down to L.A. and minister to him," she told ''Ebony''. They met in late February 1995, and three days later, she proposed to him. After a one-month whirlwind romance, they married at Smith's home in Playa del Rey in April. Smith later revealed that they often argued about her kind nature, which caused her to habitually invite homeless people into their home for food and showers and give out their home number to complete strangers. Due to his volatility, their marriage ended in 1996. After they separated, Smith was arrested for

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

involving another woman and was later convicted of three murders.

Religion

In 1992, Matthews met actor Sam J. Jones during the filming of ''Da Vinci's War''. Jones invited Matthews to read the Bible with him during a lunch break. Shortly thereafter, Matthews became a

born-again Christian To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

, and in several interviews, she stated that she would not play any more sexualized roles. Simultaneously, she renounced her stage name Vanity and reverted to Denise Matthews. She traveled extensively throughout the South with her friend/agent Benjamin Jimerson-Phillips, giving her testimony of conversion to Christianity. In 1994, Matthews was hospitalized for three months for near-fatal kidney failure from a drug overdose. She recalled later that after being rushed to the hospital, doctors said she had three days to live while on life support. It was Jimerson-Phillips, who then sent

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Denver, Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the co ...

telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...

s to Prince, notifying him of her condition. She explained that Jesus appeared and spoke to her, saying that if she promised to abandon her Vanity persona, he would save her. Upon her recovery, Matthews ended her performing career by cutting off all ties with Hollywood and shunning her former life in show business. She devoted herself to being a born-again Christian. 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." 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 Kidney transplant or renal transplant is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Kidney transplant is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or living-donor transplantat ...

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

. In 2010, Matthews released her autobiography, ''Blame It On Vanity: Hollywood, Hell and Heaven''.

Illness and death

Due to kidney problems resulting from her decade-long

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

addiction, Matthews had to undergo 20 minutes of

peritoneal dialysis Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a type of kidney dialysis, dialysis that uses the peritoneum in a person's abdomen as the membrane through which fluid and dissolved substances are exchanged with the blood. It is used to remove excess fluid, correct e ...

five times a day. She underwent a kidney transplant in 1997, but her health worsened in 2015 after she was diagnosed with sclerosing encapsulating

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and covering of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One pa ...

. Matthews died in a Fremont, California, hospital on February 15, 2016, from

, aged 57. She left much of her estate to her church. After cremation, her ashes were scattered off the coast of Hawaii.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (1984) * '' Skin on Skin'' (1986)

Vanity 6

* ''

'' (1982)

Solo singles

Soundtrack appearances

* 1985: '' The Last Dragon''; " 7th Heaven" * 1988: '' Action Jackson''; "Undress", "Faraway Eyes", and "Shotgun" with David Koz and featuring vocalist Kareem

Guest vocals

* 1982: ''

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

'',

; "Free" (backing vocals) * 1982: '' What Time Is It?'', The Time; " The Walk" (spoken vocals) * 1986: ''

El DeBarge Eldra "El" Patrick DeBarge (born June 4, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He was the focal point and primary lead singer of the DeBarge family, family group DeBarge. Popular songs led by El DeBarge include "Time Will Reveal ...

'',

; "Secrets of the Night" (backing 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 The Pointer Sisters are an American female vocal group from Oakland, California, who achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. They have had a repertoire with many genres, they have sold around 50 million records throughout their ...

from the soundtrack of '' Action Jackson''. Vanity's co-star in the movie,

, appears alongside her in the video. * 1991: "Vanity", a song performed by

Dweezil Zappa Dweezil Zappa (born Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa, September 5, 1969) is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. Exposed to the music industry from an early age, Zappa develo ...

. Vanity makes a cameo appearance

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

Vanity Official website
* *
Denise "Vanity" Matthews from The Last Dragon Tribute
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vanity 1959 births 2016 deaths Actresses from Ontario A&M Records artists Black Canadian actresses 20th-century Black Canadian women singers 20th-century Canadian women singers Canadian Christians Canadian dance musicians Canadian expatriate actresses in the United States Female models from Ontario Canadian film actresses Canadian people of African-American descent Canadian contemporary R&B singers Canadian soul singers Canadian television actresses Converts to Christianity Deaths from kidney failure in California Geffen Records artists Motown artists Musicians from the Regional Municipality of Niagara Singers from Ontario People from Niagara Falls, Ontario Vanity 6 members Musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area Canadian people of Polish-Jewish descent Canadian evangelists Canadian women pop singers Canadian people of German-Jewish descent Canadian feminist musicians Kidney transplant recipients Warner Records artists Women evangelists