Vanity (singer)

Vanity
Vanity in 1984
Born
Denise Katrina Matthews

(1959-01-04)January 4, 1959
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
DiedFebruary 15, 2016(2016-02-15) (aged 57)
Fremont, California, U.S.
Other namesDenise Matthews-Smith,
D. D. Winters
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • dancer
  • model
  • actress
Years active1977–1993
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1995; div. 1996)​
Partner(s)Prince (1982–1983)
Nikki Sixx (1986–1988)
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Labels

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.[1]

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), Never Too Young to Die (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.[2]

Early life

Denise Katrina Matthews was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on January 4, 1959,[3] the daughter of Helga Senyk and Levia James Matthews.[4] Her mother was of Polish-Jewish descent, and her father was African-American.[5] Matthews had three sisters and several half siblings.[6]

Her father died when she was 15 years old.[7] 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.[8]

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.[9] She moved to New York City to further her career and signed with Zoli Model Agency where she began using the alias D.D. Winters professionally.[10][11] Her short stature limited her to commercials and photoshoots, excluding runway work. She appeared in commercials for Pearl Drops toothpaste before completing a modeling stint in Japan. She was named one of the top sex stars of 1979 by Playboy magazine.[12][10]

She appeared on the cover of Nightlife Unlimited's 1980 album Let's Do It Again.[13]

Credited as D.D. Winters, she had a small role in the horror movie Terror Train (1980) and starred as the lead in the 1980 B-movie Tanya's Island.[14]

Music and acting career: 1982–1993

Matthews appeared on the cover of the funk band Cameo's album Alligator Woman (1982).[15]

In 1982, she met musician Prince at the American Music Awards.[16][17] After learning she could sing, Prince invited her to front a girl group he had formed called The Hookers.[16] 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.[18] The group was renamed Vanity 6.[19]

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".[8] 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."[8]

Vanity and Prince appeared together on the cover of the April 28, 1983, issue of Rolling Stone magazine.[20] In August 1983, she abruptly left the group and dropped out of the 1984 film Purple Rain; her role went to Apollonia Kotero.[16][21] Vanity later said, "Basically, I wanted to let 'Wild Animal' come out, and I needed to write my own songs. I needed to see if I could do something without the help of others. Now 'Purple Rain' was his really big dream. So I had to decide: Do I do his, or do I do mine?"[22]

In 1984, Vanity signed with Motown Records as a solo artist and recorded the funk-pop album Wild Animal.[23] She had mild success on the US pop and R&B charts with the singles "Pretty Mess" and "Mechanical Emotion."[24]

In 1985, Vanity made her mainstream film debut in The Last Dragon, which featured her song, "7th Heaven."[25] She wanted a role in the 1985 film The Color Purple, but Steven Spielberg thought she looked too young.[26]

In 1986, she released her second, final album, Skin on Skin, which produced the top 10 R&B hit "Under the Influence".[24] 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.[21]

Her highest profile role was co-starring with Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, and Sharon Stone in the 1988 film Action Jackson.[27] Film ciritc Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times praised Vanity's performance as "the movie's one redeeming merit".[28] 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.[29]

She appeared nude in the April 1988 issue of Playboy magazine.[25]

Vanity had roles on numerous TV programs. She guest-starred in a 1987 episode of Miami Vice's third season.[25] 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.[30][16] 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?'[29] They soon began dating, and she left her New York City apartment, where she had been pursuing modeling and acting, and moved to Minneapolis to live with Prince.[30] Their relationship lasted a year, until she left Vanity 6 in 1983.[16]

She was romantically liked to Adam Ant, who wrote the track "Vanity" on his album Strip (1983), and with Billy Idol.[31]

Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx had a crush on Matthews for years before reaching out through her management in 1986.[32] Once they met, their relationship intensified quickly—she fell for him within hours and proposed in just three weeks.[33][32] Matthews announced her engagement on The Late Show in September 1987, and joked that she would become Vanity 6 (Sixx) again.[34][27] They had intended to marry at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California in December 1987.[35] The wedding was postponed, and then Sixx called off the engagement in 1988.[36][37][29] 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.[33][38]

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."[39] 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.[40] 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.[39] 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.[41]

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.[42] Matthews became a born-again Christian, and stated in interviews that she would not play any more sexualized roles.[8] She renounced her stage name Vanity and reverted to her birth name Denise Matthews.[43] 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.[44] 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."[45] 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.[46][31]

In 2010, Matthews released her autobiography, Blame It On Vanity: Hollywood, Hell and Heaven.[47]

Illness and death

Due to kidney problems resulting from her decade-long cocaine addiction,[39] Matthews had to undergo 20 minutes of peritoneal dialysis five times a day.[31][44][48] She underwent a kidney transplant in 1997, but her health worsened in 2015 when she was diagnosed with encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis.[49]

Matthews died of kidney failure aged 57 in a Fremont, California, hospital on February 15, 2016.[50] She left much of her estate to her church. Her ashes were scattered off the coast of Hawaii.[6]

Discography

Studio albums

Vanity 6

Solo singles

Year Title Peak chart positions
Album

US
Pop
[51][52] 		US
R&B 		US
Dance
[53]
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

Vanity film credits
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[55]
Da Vinci's War Lupe Action/thriller Directed and co-written by Raymond Martino[56]
1997 Kiss of Death Blair Thriller (Filmed in April 1993, Vanity's last role) directed by Andrei Feher[57]

Television

Vanity television credits
Year Title Role Notes
1987 D.C. Follies Vanity (guest) Episode: "Comedy Parody" (S1.E6)
The New Mike Hammer Holly Episode: "Green Lipstick" (S3.E21)
Miami Vice Ali Ferrand Episode: "By Hooker By Crook" (S3.E20)
1988 T. and T. K.C. Morgan Episode: "A Secret No More" (S2.E6)
1989 Friday the 13th: The Series Angelica Episode: "The Secret Agenda of Mesmer's Bauble" (S2.20)
Booker Tina Maxwell Episode: "Deals and Wheels: Part 1" (S1.E8) aka 21 Jump Street (S4.E10)
1990 Memories of Murder Carmen Lifetime Television Network (aka Passing through Veils)[58][59][60]
1991 Tropical Heat (aka Sweating Bullets) Maria Episode: "Mafia Mistress" (S2.E2)[61]
Tales from the Crypt Kathrine Episode: "Dead Wait" (S3.E6)
1992 Silk Stalkings Chantel Episode: "Powder Burn" (S1.E20)
Lady Boss Mary Lou Morley Miniseries, based on Jackie Collins' novel of the same name with the teleplay by Jackie Collins[62][63]
Highlander: The Series Rebecca Lord Episode: "Revenge Is Sweet" (S1.E10)
1993 Counterstrike Sandra Episode: "Muerte" (S3.E21)

See also

References

  1. ^ Rosenberg, Eli (February 16, 2016). "Denise Matthews, Pop Singer Known as Vanity, Dies at 57". The New York Times. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  2. ^ Stutz, Colin (February 15, 2016). "Vanity, Former Prince Protégé & Leader of the Vanity 6, Dies at 57". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  3. ^ "Vanity 6 Lives Out Daring Fantasies On Stage", Jet, Johnson Publishing Company, pp. 58–62, January 1983, ISSN 0021-5996, retrieved February 18, 2016, When Prince introduced Susan, born Jan. 21, Brenda, Jan. 24 and Vanity, Jan. 4, there was an immediate attraction and the three are just as close today as ever.
  4. ^ Law, John (December 10, 2007). "Her name was Vanity; Barely into her '30s, she had become an old woman on the inside ...the beauty queen from Niagara Falls was told she had three days to live. It was her lowest point. And the one..." Welland Tribune. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  5. ^ Courtland, Milloy (June 3, 1997). "Former Siren Is Singing A New Song". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 21, 2024. Prince Rogers Nelson, of Minneapolis, the doe-eyed seducer of black and Italian parentage, would become known as much for his taste in women as for his musical prowess. Denise K. Matthews, of Niagara Falls, N.Y., daughter of an African American and Native-American father and a Polish Jewish mother, was a big part of the reason.
  6. ^ a b "BOSSIP Exclusive: 80s Singer Vanity Leaves Most Of Her Estate To Church". Bossip. February 18, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  7. ^ "Vanity Explains Why She Called Her Father A 'Gorilla'". Jet: 58–59. January 5, 1987.
  8. ^ a b c d Collier, Alldore (January 11, 1993). "Vanity Tells Why She Gave Up Sexy Image And Became Born-Again Christian". Jet: 58–60.
  9. ^ "Denise Matthews: The Niagara Falls beauty queen who became Vanity". Niagara Falls Review. February 16, 2016.
  10. ^ a b "What's next for Vanity". The Expositor. June 2, 1983. p. 12. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  11. ^ Perrone, Pierre (February 23, 2016). "Vanity: Prince protégée who fronted the synth-pop trio Vanity 6". The Independent. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  12. ^ "Vanity". www.playboy.com. April 1988. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  13. ^ "I Don't Like This Groove: From Denise Matthews to Vanity and Back (EUR Video Throwback)". EURweb. February 15, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  14. ^ "Trailers from Hell: Mick Garris on Pseudo-Sexploitation Fantasy 'Tanya's Island'". IndieWire. March 22, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
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  16. ^ a b c d e Draper, Jason (November 1, 2016). Prince: Life and Times: Revised and Updated Edition. Chartwell Books. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-7603-5363-9.
  17. ^ Clerc, Benoît (October 13, 2022). Prince: All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Octopus. ISBN 978-1-78472-881-6.
  18. ^ Tudahl, Duane (2018). Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 13. ISBN 9781538116432.
  19. ^ Buchalter, Gail (October 15, 1984). "Her Romance with Prince Hit the Rocks, but Vanity's Singing Career Is Going Grrr-Eat". People. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  20. ^ Miller, Debby (April 28, 1983). "Prince's Hot Rock: The Secret Life Of America's Sexiest One-Man Band". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Vanity Talks about Love, Prince and New Career in Records, Films". Jet: 60–62. May 5, 1986.
  22. ^ Lufkin, Liz (February 27, 1985). "Vanity talk still turns to her (former) Prince". The Peninsula Times Tribune. pp. B-1. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  23. ^ "Vanity 6 Lead Singer Cutting Motown Record". Jet: 62. August 13, 1984.
  24. ^ a b "Vanity Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF, US & UK hits charts. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  25. ^ a b c "Remembering Vanity Five Years Later". Spin. February 15, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
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  27. ^ a b "Carl Weathers and Vanity Talk About Hot Romance In 'Action jackson'". Jet: 56–58. February 15, 1988.
  28. ^ "Action Jackson movie review & film summary (1988) | Roger Ebert".
  29. ^ a b c Pollack, Joe (February 23, 1988). "Vanity In a Serious Vein". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 47. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  30. ^ a b Lufkin, Liz (February 27, 1985). "Vanity talk still turns to her (former) Prince". The Peninsula Times Tribune. pp. B-1. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  31. ^ a b c Christian, Margena A. (November 26, 2007). "Vanity". Jet. 112 (21): 49. ISSN 0021-5996.
  32. ^ a b Handelman, David (October 4, 1987). "Crue and Unusual". The Sacramento Bee. p. 285. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  33. ^ a b Sixx, Nikki; Gittins, Ian (September 1, 2008). The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star. Pocket Books. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-1-84739-206-0.
  34. ^ "Television Hilights". The Tampa Tribune. September 15, 1987. pp. 5-Hernando. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  35. ^ "Heavy Metal Breakdown". The Observer. November 5, 1987. p. 30. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  36. ^ Stone, Adrianne (February 29, 1988). "Nikki Sixx leads Motley Crue poll landslide". Circus: 62.
  37. ^ "Who's the vain one?". The Arizona Republic. February 14, 1988. pp. F2. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  38. ^ Daly, Sean (October 14, 2007). "Motley Crue memoir not for squeamish". Monterey Herald. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  39. ^ a b c "At Home With Vanity And Her New Husband". Ebony. 50 (8): 54–58. June 1995.
  40. ^ "Vanity Weds Pro Football Star Anthony Smith After Monthlong Courtship". Jet. 87 (23): 14. April 17, 1995. ISSN 0021-5996.
  41. ^ Dobie, Kathy (January 24, 2013). "Ex-Raider Anthony Smith's Murder Trial and Violent Past". GQ.
  42. ^ "Vanity interview". Daily Press (Newspapers.com). July 12, 1997.
  43. ^ Williams, Stereo (February 20, 2016). "The Sexy, Holy Saga of Vanity: Prince's Muse Who Found God". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  44. ^ a b "Wow! After Smoking Crack Cocaine, Vanity Says Jesus Came To Her And Said..." I Love Old School Music. October 5, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  45. ^ Rettenmund, Matthew (1996). Totally Awesome 80s: A Lexicon Of the Music, Videos, Movies, TV shows, Stars, and Trends Of That Decadent Decade. Macmillan. p. 57. ISBN 0-312-14436-9.
  46. ^ "Evangelist Denise Matthews (formerly Vanity of Vanity 6 with Prince) to Speak at A Positive Force LDC's African Fashion Show, Youth Benefit and Gospel Extravaganza on December 5, 2005 at CSUS University, Sacramento Grand Ballroom". PRWeb. Archived from the original on November 23, 2004. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  47. ^ "Former Prince Protege', Denise "Vanity" Matthews of Vanity 6, Dies At 57". Blame It On Vanity. February 15, 2016. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  48. ^ Ellise, Aria (February 15, 2016). "Former Prince Protege', Denise "Vanity" Matthews of Vanity 6, Dies At 57". BlackDoctor.org. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  49. ^ Grow, Kory (February 16, 2016). "Prince Collaborator Vanity Dead at 57". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  50. ^ Lenker, Margaret (February 15, 2016). "Denise 'Vanity' Matthews, Singer and Protege of Prince, Dies at 57". Variety. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  51. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2005). Bubbling Under The Billboard Hot 100 1959–2004 (2nd ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 277. ISBN 0-89820-162-4.>
  52. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955–2002 (10th ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 739. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
  53. ^ (((Vanity > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles))). AllMusic. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  54. ^ "Album: What Time Is It? – Prince Vault". princevault.com. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  55. ^ "South Beach". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on February 12, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  56. ^ "Da Vinci's War". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  57. ^ "Kiss of Death". IMDb database. IMDb. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  58. ^ "Memories of Murder". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  59. ^ "Vanity (singer)". Jet. 78 (20): 62. August 27, 1990.
  60. ^ "TV Review: Memories of Murder". Entertainment Weekly. August 10, 1990. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  61. ^ Tim Brooks; Earle Marsh (2003). "Sweating Bullets (Detective)". The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (Eighth ed.). New York City: Ballantine Books. p. 1158. ISBN 978-0-345-45542-0.
  62. ^ "Lady Boss". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  63. ^ "Lady Boss (miniseries)". JackieCollins.com. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
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