R.I.P., Denise "Vanity" Matthews (1/4/1959 - 2/15/2016)

[IrezumiKiss]

Rest in power, sis.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/bb/b0/54/bbb054562c2d637d345d260e52cfba0d.jpg

Vanity

Denise Katrina Matthews (born January 4, 1959 - February 15, 2016), formerly known as Vanity and sometimes credited as Denise Matthews-Smith or D.D. Winters, was a Canadian former singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and model who turned away from her acting and music career to concentrate on evangelism. Vanity's career lasted from the 1980s until the early mid-1990s.

She was the lead singer of the female trio Vanity 6 from 1981 until it disbanded in 1983. The group was well known for their 1982 R&B/funk hit "Nasty Girl". Vanity's music career, also included two solo albums on Motown Records; Wild Animal and Skin on Skin, as well as the hit singles, "Pretty Mess", "Mechanical Emotion", and "Under the Influence".

She also had a successful acting career, starring in films The Last Dragon, 52 Pick-Up, and Action Jackson.

 

[RoryN]

My puberty began with hearing "Nasty Girl" in Beverly Hills Cop.

 

[Pairaclities]

I am not familiar with her work, but RIP for sure. Way too young.

 

[Aglaopheme]

Bummer.

As an aside, I'd just about bet my life that is a monkey fur coat. Maybe vintage as they were really popular in the 30s.

 

[phrodeau]

She did the heavy breathing in Prince's song "Orgasm," and the credit read "she knows."

She became a born-again Christian after a near-death experience. And now, she knows.

 

[MrBates2]

Beyonce looks like a dude

http://static1.purepeople.com/articles/6/11/51/36/@/1046598-singer-beyonce-performs-during-the-950x0-2.jpg

 

[phrodeau]

http://static1.purepeople.com/articles/6/11/51/36/@/1046598-singer-beyonce-performs-during-the-950x0-2.jpg

Which part are you thinking of?

 

[snugglestruggle]

The Last Dragon... now that brings back memories .

 

[IrezumiKiss]

*snip*

Awww, lookie there...some poor marginal basic beige schmuck is feeling pressed under the magnificence of the excellence he only wishes his toe fungus possessed.

It takes quite a lot for mediocre to come out on stage. Anyone impressed?

https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hJuZJoEkXwoSSwKXxI1l-w_I90A=/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2350766/pmc.0.gif

 

[RoryN]

*snip*

Loser.

 

[Not Normal]

RIP,,,

 

[lovecraft68]

And the deaths keep on coming.

I wasn't a huge fan of her music, but a huge fan of her. She came out right around the age I was realizing what I was looking when looking at women and she had it to look at. Her and Debbie Harry were my first fantasy girls.

Action Jackson and Last Dragon are two of my favorite cheesy shut the brain off and go for a ride movies.

57 is way too young.

 

[IrezumiKiss]

http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/e64c8bcaba4df1b370fa19491335a451

Prince pays tribute to late girlfriend Vanity in first show on Australian solo tour

FEBRUARY 17, 20166:05AM

REMEMBER when musicians became superstars because of their talent?

Prince may be the last of his kind.

Australia is the surprise first global leg of his Piano and a Microphone solo tour, a tour which didn’t exist a month ago but will be talked about for years.

Armed just with a piano and that immense talent, Prince put on the kind of concert you just don’t expect to see from a superstar. It was spontaneous and intimate. It was like a private piano party, just with 2000 people watching. It was pure Prince.

His first Melbourne show at the State Theatre was particularly emotionally charged — Prince admitting he’d just found out about the death of Denise Matthews, aka Vanity, his ex-girlfriend from the early ‘80s and protoge when she fronted the band Vanity 6.

“Someone dear to us has passed away, I’m gonna dedicate this song to her,” Prince said before playing a touching version of Little Red Corvette with a touch of Dirty Mind — songs from the era when they were together.

Prince reworked his classic The Ladder to replace the name ‘Electra’ with ‘Vanity’ — so the lyrics ran “This Prince, he had a subject named Vanity who loved him with a passion, uncontested.”

After an encore Prince returned to the stage noting “I am new to this playing alone. I thank you all for being so patient. I’m trying to stay focused, it’s a little heavy for me tonight. Just keep jamming ... She knows about this one.” That introduced a truly incredible version of The Beautiful Ones, another song from the Vanity era (she was the original choice for lead in the Purple Rain movie), the song ending with Prince changing “my knees” for “Denise ... Denise”.

Unusually chatty and candid, he continued going off script. “Can I tell you a story about Vanity? Or should I tell you a story about Denise? Her and I used to love each other deeply. She loved me for the artist I was, I loved her for the artist she was trying to be. She and I would fight. She was very headstrong cos she knew she was the finest woman in the world. She never missed an opportunity to tell you that.”

Prince then opened up about a fight where he threatened to throw Vanity in the pool. She said “You can’t throw me in the pool, you’re too little”. He then asked his six foot bodyguard Chick to do the dirty work for him.

“I probably shouldn’t be telling this story,“ he said, “but she’d want us to celebrate her life and not mourn her.”

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/prince-pays-tribute-to-late-girlfriend-vanity-in-first-show-on-australian-solo-tour/news-story/d80310448ef160275398c7f36d2f221d

 

[MrBates2]

Which part are you thinking of?

Her face

 

[lovecraft68]

Her face

In that still, its hard to disagree, a totally unflattering look. Of course in real life that was what? A fraction of a second caught, and blown all over the net because that's what people do these days.

The only thing I thought that made her bad about it, wasn't the pic, it was her demanding it be pulled down and showing how vain she is and acting like a Diva.

I think she's a beautiful woman and an immense talent, but seems like as soon as she hooked up with Jay Z she started acting like a snot.

I guess being abused will do that to you.

 

[RoryN]

Prince then opened up about a fight where he threatened to throw Vanity in the pool. She said “You can’t throw me in the pool, you’re too little”. He then asked his six foot bodyguard Chick to do the dirty work for him.

^^^^^Love this.

 

[Beco]

In that still, its hard to disagree, a totally unflattering look. Of course in real life that was what? A fraction of a second caught, and blown all over the net because that's what people do these days.

The only thing I thought that made her bad about it, wasn't the pic, it was her demanding it be pulled down and showing how vain she is and acting like a Diva.

I think she's a beautiful woman and an immense talent, but seems like as soon as she hooked up with Jay Z she started acting like a snot.

I guess being abused will do that to you.

Maybe, but she is a superstar, so she is going to ruffle some feathers, you can't please All the people ALL the time....but she should have brought back Destiny's Child

 

[IrezumiKiss]

^^^^^Love this.

It's classic Prince. Probably the inspiration for the "Lake Minnetonka" purification scene in Purple Rain.