Denise Matthews, the singer, model and actress famously recognized as Vanity died on in Fremont, California at the age of 57 as reported by CNN. (Feb 15).
Matthews was well known for touring with Prince in the 1980s. A turning point came in her life when she shunned her celebrity lifestyle for life as a minister.
According to the New York Times, Denise Matthews's sister Renay Matthews confirmed the death. Renay Matthews is Denise's sister.
She claimed Matthews checked into a hospital on Saturday night.
Matthews' cause of death is not known but she famously struggled with years of kidney problems.
Matthews had been romantically involved with Prince, who she had met at the American Music Awards in 1980.
He also asked her to be a part of Vanity 6, the funky girl group which had a hit in 1982 with"Nasty Girl".
Matthews was also supposed to be lead female role in "Purple Rain," which is the semi-autobiographical Prince film which was a box-office hit in 1984. However, Matthews left the project before filming even began.
She then released two albums as a solo artist on Motown. Her albums were called "Wild Animal" and "Skin on Skin."
She was also an actress who appeared on television and in films. Her roles included those in "The Last Dragon," "Never Too Young to Die," "Action Jackson" and "52 Pick-Up."
She was also, by her own admission, a profuse drug user - and the drugs almost killed her. In 1992 she got very sick - she had had renal failure and doctors told her she hhad a mere three days to live.
That was reportedly the point in her life that changed everything - she became a Christian evangelist.
Her sister claims Matthews became an ordained minister and preached in churches all around the country.
Her autobiography, published in 1999, was named "Blame It on Vanity."
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