From Vanity to Christ: Remembering singer Denise Matthews

Vanity, a Prince protégé who renounced her sensual stage persona to enter Christian ministry, died Monday in Fremont, Calif., from complications of kidney disease, according to a family member. She was 57.

Born Denise Matthews in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Matthews first rocketed to stardom through her association with Prince and the ’80s girl group Vanity 6. During her time in music, Vanity released four albums with Motown and Warner Brothers and was known for her sultry appearance and sexually themed music, including “Nasty Girl.”

She also appeared in films in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including The Last Dragon, 52 Pick-Up, and Action Jackson. But Matthews’ health took a turn for the worse in 1992 and she was hospitalized for kidney failure, which she blamed on cocaine and other drug use.

“I was sick inside. I was a crack cocaine addict and didn’t even know how to wake up in the morning without some smoke,” she said in 1999.

The experience led Matthews to renounce her Hollywood lifestyle and her stage name after becoming a born-again Christian.

“When I came to the Lord Jesus Christ, I threw out about 1,000 tapes of mine—every interview, every tape, every video. Everything,” she said.

After her conversion, Matthews devoted her life to evangelism.

Musicians around the world expressed sorrow at Matthews’ death.

Prince, touring in Australia, dedicated several songs to her during a show, according to the Herald Sun newspaper.

“Miss you dearly. U are in his arms now, no pain,” tweeted drummer Sheila E., who also worked with Prince.

Rapper MC Hammer tweeted that he had just attended church with Matthews on Saturday: “Vanity left church after giving a beautiful testimony of appreciation for her Pastors & Thanks to her savior Jesus, I was there,” he tweeted. “I was looking for her Sunday and the announcement came that she fell ill during the night.”

Matthews expressed no regrets about leaving her celebrity lifestyle behind.

“When I was Vanity, it was all about me,” she said in 1999. “But when I’m preaching the word of God, it’s Jesus Christ speaking through me. I don’t want people to know who I was back then, but the new creature that God has made me.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Listen to a report on the life of Denise Matthews on The World and Everything in It.