The prince’s former protégé was 57

Denise Matthews, the former protégé of music legend Prince, known by her stage name Vanity, died today in Fremont, California, of kidney failure. She was 57. Under the name Vanity, Matthews had some success as a pop singer and actress in the 1980s, but converted to evangelical Christianity in the 1990s after a public battle with drug addiction and gave up her career in the entertainment business.

Born in Niagara Falls, Canada, and raised mostly in the Greater Toronto Area, Vanity began her career in entertainment as a model, moving to New York City at 17. She met Prince at the 1980 American Music Awards, where he quickly took her under his wing and created the—some say forced—sexually charged Vanity persona that would make her a name for herself. As part of the girl group Vanity 6, she had several hits, most notably the 1982 song “Nasty Girl.” She left the group soon after and was replaced by another Prince-promoted artist, Apollonia, in the now renamed Apollonia 6. Matthews signed with Motown Records in 1984 and recorded two solo albums. Matthews has also acted, most notably in the cult martial arts film The Last Dragon by Berry Gordyand the action film by Carl Weathers from 1988 Action Jackson.

During this time, Matthews became addicted to crack cocaine, a problem that eventually led to an overdose and near-fatal kidney failure in 1994. After her recovery, she converted to Christianity, gave up her entertainment career, and gave up the role of Vanity. However, her addiction had severely damaged her health and she had to undergo a kidney transplant in 1997. Since then, she has devoted herself entirely to evangelism. She described her experiences in her 2010 autobiography Vanity is to blame.

As the news spread, numerous condolences from friends and admirers poured in on social media.

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