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 three sisters, Patricia, Deborah, 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. Early life 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 age 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. Known for their 1982 hit song ' Nasty Girl', they disbanded in 1983, when she decided to embark on a solo career. Vanity was the lead singer of the female trio Vanity 6, which was created by the musician Prince. 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, model, and actress.

The last dragon movie songs