Denise Katrina Matthews (January 4, 1959 – February 15, 2016), known professionally as Vanity, was a Canadian singer, 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.Pam Cook, "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), ''British Stars and Stardom: From Alma Taylor to ...

in the 1980s, she became an

evangelist Evangelist may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a c ...

and renounced her career as Vanity in the 1990s. Vanity was the lead singer of the female trio

Vanity 6 Vanity 6 was a short lived American female vocal trio that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They were protégés of musician Prince (musician), Prince. Led by singer Vanity (singer), Vanity, they are known for their song "Nasty Girl (Vanity ...

, 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. Th ...

. 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 Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...

label, ''

Wild Animal Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted fo ...

'' and '' Skin on Skin''. She had minor hit singles with " Pretty Mess", " Mechanical Emotion", " Under the Influence", and "

Undress Western dress codes are a set of dress codes detailing what clothes are worn for what occasion. Conversely, since most cultures have intuitively applied some level equivalent to the more formal Western dress code traditions, these dress codes a ...

" from the 1988 film '' Action Jackson''. Vanity also had a successful career as an actress, starring in the film '' The Last Dragon'', ''

52 Pick-Up ''52 Pick-Up'' is a 1986 American neo-noir crime film directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Roy Scheider, Ann-Margret, and Vanity. It is based on Elmore Leonard's 1974 novel of the same name, and is the second adaptation of it after '' The ...

'', and '' Action Jackson''. After years of drug abuse, which caused health issues, Matthews became a born-again 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 Fra ...

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

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, 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 failure is classified as eit ...

Early life

Denise Katrina Matthews was born in

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the 2016 census. It is part of the St. Catharines - Niagara Census M ...

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

German-Jewish The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...

and

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 Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lon ...

descent, and she was born in Germany, while her father was of

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

descent and was born in

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...

.: "Denise K. Matthews, of Niagara Falls... daughter of an African American father and a Polish Jewish mother..." Matthews had three sisters, Patricia, Deborah, Renay and several half siblings."BOSSIP Exclusive: 80s Singer Vanity Leaves Most Of Her Estate To Church"

Bossip ''Bossip'' is an online gossip and entertainment magazine with a focus on African American celebrities. The site is owned by iOne Digital, an Urban One Inc. company. The magazine is based in Atlanta, Georgia. ''Bossip'' has interviewed celebri ...

. 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 ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, 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 The Zoli Agency was a modeling agency based in New York City, particularly notable in the 1970s and 1980s. Background It was established by a Budapest-born Hungary, Hungarian designer named Zoltan "Zoli" Rendessy in 1971.

. 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 o
Nightlife Unlimited
��s album cove
''Let's'' ''Do'' ''It'' ''Again''
(1980) Matthews had a small role in the horror movie ''

Terror Train ''Terror Train'' is a 1980 slasher film directed by Roger Spottiswoode in his directorial debut and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Johnson, and Hart Bochner. Set aboard a moving train on New Year's Eve, the film follows a group of pre-medical sc ...

'' (1980), which was filmed in Montreal in 1979. She then went to Toronto to film the lead role in the

B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

Tanya's Island ''Tanya's Island'' is a 1980 Canadian-American fantasy film directed by Alfred Sole. It stars Denise "Vanity" Matthews (credited as “D.D. Winters”) as a young woman caught up in a love triangle with her aggressive boyfriend and a wild ape-ma ...

'' (1980). 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 ''Alligator Woman'' is a 1982 album by the American funk band Cameo, released by Casablanca Records. It is the group's eighth studio album, and the first released after group leader Larry Blackmon reduced the band from 11 members to 5 (himself, T ...

'', released in March 1982. She had met musician

at the American Music Awards 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," but she refused so they 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". "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," she said. 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, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' 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 which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.

'', but

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

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 ''

Never Too Young to Die ''Never Too Young to Die'' is a 1986 American action film directed by Gil Bettman. It stars John Stamos as Lance Stargrove, a young man who, with the help of secret agent Danja Deering (played by singer Vanity, also known as Denise Matthews) must ...

'' 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 Da ...

and she appeared in ''

'' . 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 (director), Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo ...

''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,

Craig T. Nelson Craig Theodore Nelson (born April 4, 1944) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Hayden Fox in the sitcom ''Coach'' (for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series), Deputy Ward Wilson in the 19 ...

, and Sharon Stone. She also appeared nude in the April 1988 issue of ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' 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

Reportedly, Matthews attended the American Music Awards with Rick James where she met Prince in January 1982. Matthews and Prince then began dating shortly after. She was linked romantically to

Adam Ant Stuart Leslie Goddard, better known as Adam Ant (born 3 November 1954), 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 top ten ...

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

Strip Strip 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 Namibia to ...

'' album, and Billy Idol. During an appearance on ''

The Arsenio Hall Show ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Arsenio Hall. There have been two different incarnations of ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. The original series premiered on January 3, 1989, ...

'' in 1987, Matthews announced that she and

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...

bassist Nikki Sixx 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 Freebase may refer to: *Free base or freebase, the pure basic form of an amine, as opposed to its salt form *Freebase (database), a former online database service * ''Freebase'' (mixtape), 2014 mixtape by 2 Chainz *An original song by the Mike Fl ...

. 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 that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

in 1995. Matthews was working as an evangelist in San Jose when she read about Smith's philanthropic activities in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. "The Lord told me that I would go down to L.A. and minister him," she told ''Ebony''. Three days after they met she proposed to him. They married after a one-month whirlwind romance. The wedding took place at Smith's home in Playa del Rey. Smith revealed that they often argued because of her kind nature. Matthews had a habit of inviting homeless people into their home for food and offering them showers, she would also give out her number. Smith was volatile and the marriage ended in 1996. After they separated, Smith was arrested for

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

involving another woman and he was later convicted of three murders.

Religion

In 1992 Vanity met actor

Sam J. Jones Samuel Gerald Jones (born August 12, 1954), known professionally as Sam J. Jones, is an American actor and former football player. He is known for playing the title character in the 1980 film ''Flash Gordon'' and for starring in the short-lived ...

during the filming of ''Da Vinci's War''. Jones invited Vanity to read the Bible with him during a lunch break. Shortly thereafter, Vanity became a

born-again Christian Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...

, 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. She explained that Jesus appeared to her at this time 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 Olivia may refer to: People * Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Olivia (singer) (Olivia Longott, born 1981), American singer * Olívia (basketball) (Carlos Henrique Rodrigues do Nascimento, born 1974 ...

; 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 transplantati ...

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 from her 10-year

crack cocaine Crack cocaine, commonly known simply as crack, and also known as rock, is a free base form of the stimulant cocaine that can be smoked. Crack offers a short, intense high to smokers. The ''Manual of Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment'' calls ...

addiction, Matthews had to undergo 20 minutes of peritoneal dialysis five times a day. Matthews underwent a kidney transplant in 1997, but her health worsened in 2015 after she was diagnosed with

sclerosing Sclerotherapy (the word reflects the Greek ''skleros'', meaning ''hard'') is a procedure used to treat blood vessel malformations ( vascular malformations) and also malformations of the lymphatic system. A medicine is injected into the vessels, ...

encapsulating peritonitis. Matthews died in a Fremont, California, hospital on February 15, 2016, from kidney failure, aged 57. She left much of her estate to her church. A dying wish of hers was to have her ashes scattered over the coast of Hawaii, and for her loved ones to celebrate her life with festivities and "no tears".

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 David Stephen Koz (born March 27, 1963) is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, record producer, and radio personality based in California. Early life Dave Koz was born in Encino, California, to Jewish parents: Norman, a dermatologist ...

and featuring vocalist Kareem

Guest vocals

* 1982: ''

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

'',

; "Free" (backing vocals) * 1982: '' What Time Is It?'', The Time; " The Walk" (spoken vocals) * 1986: '' El DeBarge'', El DeBarge; "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 pop and R&B singing group from Oakland, California, that achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. Their repertoire has included such diverse genres as pop, jazz, electronic music, bebop, b ...

from the soundtrack of '' Action Jackson''. Vanity's co-star in the movie, Carl Weathers, appears alongside her in the video.

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 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 Geffen Records artists Motown artists Musicians from the Regional Municipality of Niagara 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 Feminist musicians Kidney transplant recipients Warner Records artists