Prince protege Vanity dies at 57

Vanity, a Prince protege who renounced her sexy stage persona to become a Christian minister, has died at age 57.

Along with her pop career, Vanity was also a model and actress with credits in The Last Dragon, Miami Vice, Highlander and Action Jackson.

In a 2007 interview with Niagara Falls Review reporter John Law, Matthews reminisced about her 1977 crowing as Miss Niagara Hospitality when then an 18-year-old Westlane student. “I had to wake up and be smarter than that”. She became a born-again Christian in the 1990’s and remained so until her death.

“I was obsessed with him and he was obsessed with me”, she told the Toronto Star several years later.

“Can I tell you a story about Vanity?” he added. She had been diagnosed with “sclerosis encapsulating peritonitis”, a life-threatening abdominal condition. She had been undergoing years of dialysis battling kidney failure, according to reports.

Prince paid tribute to late singer Vanity at his gig in Melbourne last night (February 16). “I am raising funds for my life’s work in the ministry, my book and, as I said before, my ongoing bills”.

On her blameitonvanity.com website, where she promoted her autobiography of the same name, she wrote, “All I had become was thus painted on my face – vanity”.

“I want to apologize for the things I used to say and show to you”, she said in 1997. “She loved me for the artist I was”.

“Saturday #Vanity left church after giving a lovely testimony of appreciation for her Pastors & Thanks to her savior Jesus, I was there”, the legendary hip-hop artist continued. They released one self-titled album in 1982, and Prince wrote, produced, and did the instrumentation for almost all of it. Their biggest hit was the sex jam “Nasty Girl”, which got major play in clubs but which was banned from radio stations for being too explicit.

Matthews was also supposed to be lead female role in “Purple Rain”, which is the semi-autobiographical Prince film which was a box-office hit in 1984.