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Denise Katrina Matthews, better known as Vanity, the lead singer of Vanity 6 and protégé of Prince , has died aged 57.
The singer died in hospital in California on Monday after years of ill health with kidney problems, according to a report by TMZ. A spokesperson for Washington Hospital Health Care System confirmed to NBC
Matthews was discovered by Prince in the early 1980s. Prince went on to produced the group’s biggest hit "Nasty Girl" which was released in 1982.
She later released two solo albums, Wild Animal and Skin on Skin , with Motown Records and featured in films: The Last Dragon, 52 Pick-Up and Action Jackson.
Matthews struggled with crack-cocaine addiction throughout her career and in 1994 overdosed which triggered near-fatal renal failure. After this, she left her career in entertainment and became a born-again Christian. After a 1997 kidney transplant, she devoted much of her life to evangelism which she documented in her 2010 autobiography Blame It on Vanity.
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Four months ago, Matthews set up a crowdfunding page where she asked for donations to cover medical costs after she was diagnosed with the kidney condition, Sclerosis Encapsulating Peritonitis.
Among those to leave public tributes was Billy Idol - who she was rumoured to once be in a relationship with, MC Hammer and Solange Knowles.
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