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 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. Led by singer Vanity, they are known for their song " Nasty Girl."
History
Formation
In 1981, Prince, hi ...
, 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 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
"Mechanical Emotion" is a 1984 song by Canadian singer Vanity. It was released as the second single in support of her debut solo album, ''Wild Animal''. The single peaked at No. 23 on the ''Billboard'' R&B singles chart.
Track listing
US 7" single ...
", "
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
''The Last Dragon'' (sometimes listed as Berry Gordy's ''The Last Dragon'') is a 1985 American martial arts comedy film produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy and directed by Michael Schultz. The film stars Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, C ...
'', ''
52 Pick-Up'', and ''
Action Jackson''.
After years of drug abuse, which caused health issues, Matthews became a
born-again
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 sep ...
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"](_blank)
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 Unlimiteds 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 ''
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-man ...
'' (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'', released in March 1982. She had met 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 ...
at the
American Music Awards
The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Pro ...
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
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. Led by singer Vanity, they are known for their song " Nasty Girl."
History
Formation
In 1981, Prince, hi ...
.
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
Patricia Apollonia Kotero (born August 2, 1959) is an American singer, actress, former model and talent manager. She is known for co-starring in Prince's 1984 film '' Purple Rain'' and for having been the lead singer of the girl group Apolloni ...
.
In 1984, Vanity signed with
Motown Records as a solo artist and recorded the funk-pop album ''
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 ...
''. She had mild success on the US pop and R&B charts with the singles "
Pretty Mess" and "
Mechanical Emotion
"Mechanical Emotion" is a 1984 song by Canadian singer Vanity. It was released as the second single in support of her debut solo album, ''Wild Animal''. The single peaked at No. 23 on the ''Billboard'' R&B singles chart.
Track listing
US 7" single ...
".
In 1985, Vanity made her mainstream film debut in ''
The Last Dragon
''The Last Dragon'' (sometimes listed as Berry Gordy's ''The Last Dragon'') is a 1985 American martial arts comedy film produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy and directed by Michael Schultz. The film stars Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, C ...
'', 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 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'' opposite
John Stamos and she appeared in ''
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 "Rico" Tubbs, two M ...
''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 (born January 14, 1948) is an American actor and former professional football player. He is known for his roles as boxer Apollo Creed in the first four ''Rocky'' films (1976–85), George Dillon in '' Predator'' (1987), Action Ja ...
,
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
Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various ...
.
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
James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in ...
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
William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...
.
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 bassist
Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx (born Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna Jr.; December 11, 1958) is an American musician, best known as the co-founder, bassist, and primary songwriter of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a me ...
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 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
Playa del Rey (Spanish for "Beach of the King") is a seaside community in the Santa Monica Bay and the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It has a ZIP code of 90293 and area codes of 310 and 424. As of 2018, the community had a populat ...
. 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, 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 19 ...
; 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
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 ...
.
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 addiction,
Matthews had to undergo 20 minutes of
peritoneal dialysis
Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a type of dialysis which 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 electrolyte pro ...
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
Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One part or ...
.
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
* ''
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 ...
'' (1984)
* ''
Skin on Skin'' (1986)
Vanity 6
* ''
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. Led by singer Vanity, they are known for their song " Nasty Girl."
History
Formation
In 1981, Prince, hi ...
'' (1982)
Solo singles
Soundtrack appearances
* 1985: ''
The Last Dragon
''The Last Dragon'' (sometimes listed as Berry Gordy's ''The Last Dragon'') is a 1985 American martial arts comedy film produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy and directed by Michael Schultz. The film stars Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, C ...
''; "
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'',
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 ...
; "Free" (backing vocals)
* 1982: ''
What Time Is It?'',
The Time; "
The Walk"
(spoken vocals)
* 1986: ''
El DeBarge
Eldra Patrick "El" DeBarge (born June 4, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He was the focal point and primary lead singer of the family group DeBarge. Popular songs led by El DeBarge include " Time Will Reveal", " Who's Hold ...
'',
El DeBarge
Eldra Patrick "El" DeBarge (born June 4, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He was the focal point and primary lead singer of the family group DeBarge. Popular songs led by El DeBarge include " Time Will Reveal", " Who's Hold ...
; "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
''The Last Dragon'' (sometimes listed as Berry Gordy's ''The Last Dragon'') is a 1985 American martial arts comedy film produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy and directed by Michael Schultz. The film stars Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, C ...
'')
* 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
Carl Weathers (born January 14, 1948) is an American actor and former professional football player. He is known for his roles as boxer Apollo Creed in the first four ''Rocky'' films (1976–85), George Dillon in '' Predator'' (1987), Action Ja ...
, appears alongside her in the video.
Filmography
Film
Television
See also
*
List of people in Playboy 1980–1989
This list of people in ''Playboy'' 1980–1989 is a catalog of women and men who appeared in ''Playboy'' magazine in the years 1980 through 1989. Not all of the people featured in the magazine are pictured in the nude.
Entries in indicate t ...
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