Matthews and Prince then began dating shortly after. Reportedly, Matthews attended the American Music Awards with Rick James where she met Prince in January 1982. Her last role was in the film Kiss of Death in 1993.
#VANITY CRACK ADDICTION MOVIE#
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. She appeared in Friday the 13th: The Series in the episode entitled "Mesmer's Bauble" in 1989. Vanity had a role on numerous TV programs. She also appeared nude in the April 1988 issue of Playboy magazine. 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. In 1987, Vanity guest-starred in an episode of Miami Vice 's third season. That year, she also starred in Never Too Young to Die opposite John Stamos and she appeared in 52 Pick-Up.
#VANITY CRACK ADDICTION SKIN#
In 1986, she released her second and last album, Skin on Skin, which produced the top 10 R&B hit " Under the Influence". 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, but Steven Spielberg thought she looked too young. She had mild success on the US pop and R&B charts with the singles " Pretty Mess" and " Mechanical Emotion". In 1984, Vanity signed with Motown Records as a solo artist and recorded the funk-pop album Wild Animal. 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. Vanity and Prince appeared on the cover of the Apissue of Rolling Stone magazine. I wanted the old Diana Ross image," she said. I did it because he told me I had to do it. I lied and said it was the image I wanted. "Prince created the whole Vanity Six image. They wore lingerie and Vanity's image became that of an erotic and sexy "nasty girl". The group recorded one album, and had some success internationally with the single " Nasty Girl". Prince initially wanted to name her "Vagina," but she refused so they settled on Vanity, as he considered her to be the female form of himself.
After learning that she could sing, Prince later invited her to front a girl group he had formed called the Hookers. She had met musician Prince at the American Music Awards earlier that year. Matthews appeared on the cover of the funk band Cameo's album cover, Alligator Woman, released in March 1982. She then went to Toronto to film the lead role in the B-movie Tanya's Island (1980). Matthews had a small role in the horror movie Terror Train (1980), which was filmed in Montreal in 1979. Vanity appeared in commercials for Pearl Drops toothpaste, before completing a modeling stint in Japan. However, because she was short in stature, her modeling career was limited to commercials and photoshoots and excluded runway work. At age 17, she moved to New York City to further her career. She won the Miss Niagara Hospitality title in 1977 and went on to compete for Miss Canada in 1978. Matthews began entering local beauty pageants before moving to Toronto, where she modeled. I wish I could see my father in heaven, but I won't. The abuse caused her to have a negative self-image. Matthews revealed to Jet in 1993 that her father physically and verbally abused her for years. Her father died when she was 15 years old. Matthews had two sisters, Patricia and Renay, and several half siblings. Her mother was of German-Jewish and Polish-Jewish descent, and she was born in Germany, while her father was of African-American descent and was born in Wilmington, North Carolina. ĭenise Katrina Matthews was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario on January 4, 1959, the daughter of Helga Senyk and Levia James Matthews. Matthews died on February 15, 2016, at the age of 57, due to kidney failure. She later devoted herself to her church in Fremont, California. Vanity also had a successful career as an actress, starring in the film The Last Dragon, 52 Pick-Up, and Action Jackson.Īfter years of drug abuse, which caused health issues, Matthews became a born again Christian in 1992. She had minor hit singles with " Pretty Mess", " Mechanical Emotion", " Under the Influence", and " Undress" from the 1988 film Action Jackson. Vanity released two solo albums on the Motown Records label, Wild Animal and Skin on Skin. They disbanded in 1983 when she decided to embark on a solo career. Vanity was the lead singer of the female trio Vanity 6 known for their 1982 hit song " Nasty Girl". Known for her image as a sex symbol in the 1980s, she became an evangelist and renounced her career as Vanity in the 1990s. Denise Katrina Matthews (Janu– February 15, 2016), known professionally as Vanity, was a Canadian singer, songwriter, model, and actress.