Prince’s protege Vanity dies at 57

Vanity, the lead singer of the 1980s girl group Vanity 6, died Monday at the age of 57.

Vanity –whose real name is Denise Matthews – struggled with kidney problems for years, and more recently, abdominal issues. She died at a hospital in Fremont, California.

In the 1980s she was discovered by Prince and was considered to many as his protégé. He recruited her to become a part of the girl group Vanity 6.

In 1982, Prince produced one of Vanity’s biggest hit songs –“Nasty Girl.” In 1983, she left the group and put out two solo albums which included hit songs “Pretty Mess” and “Under The Influence.”

If you’re not too familiar with her music, you may recognize her roles in Action Jackson, The Last Dragon and 52 Pick-up

During the 1980s,Matthews struggled with drug addictionuntil she became a born-again Christian in the 1990s.According to TMZ, she remained an active participant at her church until her death. On Saturday she told her congregation she was “ready to go home.”