She was a favorite 80s pin-up girl and one of Prince‘s most famous protegés and now Vanity, born Denise Katrina Matthews, has tragically passed away today [Monday, February 15, 2016].
The lead singer of girl group Vanity 6 died earlier this afternoon in a Fremont, CA hospital after years of battling kidney failure and, more recently, an abdominal illness, according to TMZ.
The website goes on to say that a few months ago, Vanity set up a GoFundMe page, and said she’d been diagnosed with sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis—an inflammation of the small intestines.
After rising to fame in cult classic movies like The Last Dragon, Vanity had a well-known battle with crack addiction in the 90s,with an overdose leading to kidney failure and ongoing daily dialysis treatments.