Denise Katrina Matthews (January 4, 1959 – February 15, 2016), known professionally as Vanity, was a Canadian singer, model, and actress.
Denise Katrina Matthews was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on January 4, 1959, the daughter of Helga Senyk and Levia James Matthews.
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.
Matthews had three sisters, Patricia, Deborah, Renay and several half siblings.
Her father died when she was 15 years old.
1977
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.
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.
1980
Known for her image as a sex symbol in the 1980s, she became an evangelist and renounced her career as Vanity in the 1990s.
Vanity was the lead singer of the female trio Vanity 6, which was created by the musician Prince.
She also appeared on Nightlife Unlimited’s album cover Let's Do It Again (1980)
Matthews had a small role in the horror movie Terror Train (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 (1980).
She was credited as D.D Winters for both films.
1982
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 and Skin on Skin.
Matthews appeared on the cover of the funk band Cameo's album cover, Alligator Woman, released in March 1982.
She had met musician Prince 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 Vanity 6.
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.
1983
Vanity and Prince appeared on the cover of the April 28, 1983, issue of Rolling Stone 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.
1984
In 1984, Vanity signed with Motown Records as a solo artist and recorded the funk-pop album Wild Animal.
She had mild success on the US pop and R&B charts with the singles "Pretty Mess" and "Mechanical Emotion".
1985
Vanity also had a successful career as an actress, starring in the films The Last Dragon (1985), and 52 Pick-Up (1986), and Action Jackson.
In 1985, Vanity made her mainstream film debut in The Last Dragon, which featured her song, "7th Heaven."
1988
She had minor hit singles with "Pretty Mess", "Mechanical Emotion", "Under the Influence", and "Undress" from the 1988 film Action Jackson.
1992
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.
1993
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.
Matthews began entering local beauty pageants before moving to Toronto, where she modeled.
2016
Matthews died on February 15, 2016, at age 57, due to kidney failure.
