Denise Matthews, the former Prince protege known as Vanity, went through various transformations throughout her music career and life.

Matthews, who died on Feb. 15, 2016, at the age of 57, went from a sexy singer to Christian evangelist minister.

Matthews, born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, rose to fame in the 1980s as part of the girl group Vanity 6, closely associated with legendary artist Prince. The group’s hit song “Nasty Girl” catapulted them into the music scene, but Vanity’s life took a dark turn with struggles involving drugs and health issues, including kidney disease.

Born on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, she immigrated to America to pursue a career in modeling and music in New York. There she met funk legend Rick James, according to the Daily Beast. In 1980, she met Prince at the American Music Awards, and joined his entourage. Prince re-christened her as “Vanity” and crafted the sultry girl group Vanity 6.

“Prince created the whole Vanity 6 image. It bothered me at the time. I lied and said it was the image I wanted. I did it because he told me I had to do it,” she said to Jet, according to God Reports. “If I didn’t do it, I wouldn’t get paid. I got into it. I wanted the old Diana Ross image.”

She split with Prince and Vanity 6, and signed for Motown Records as a solo artist and released two albums, “Wild Animal” and “Skin on Skin” that didn’t fare well. She turned to acting with roles in the movies “The Last Dragon,” “Never Too Young to Die,” “Action Jackson,” and “52 Pick-Up.” Then she got engaged in 1987 to Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx, who was also addicted to drugs.

“It was drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, that whole sexual thing. Vanity was praying to die because she was lost and hurting inside. God said you have to go through darkness until you find His light,” she told Jet. “Torture was going on in my life and led me to the Lord. For 33 years, I was walking dead. I masked myself in clothes, makeup, anything.”

In 1992, Vanity faced a critical moment in her life. Hospitalized for kidney failure, she attributed her health challenges to drug use, particularly crack cocaine. In the midst of her physical decline, she experienced a profound encounter with Jesus Christ, who she said appeared to her in a vision and offered her a choice – to abandon her Vanity persona and embrace Christianity for a new chance at life.

Vanity underwent a radical transformation, embracing her birth name, Denise Matthews, and dedicating her life to sharing her testimony across various churches.

“Prior to finding my Lord and Savior I lived in the bottomless pit of Hollywood’s deception. Lust, drugs Rock n Roll….i was living in the depths of iniquity versed with carnality and suicidal thoughts of leaving this world,” she once wrote, according to USA Today.

She still struggled with health complications, including high blood pressure, a heart attack, stroke, and even partial blindness.

“My blood pressure was 250 over 190. I lost both kidneys,” Vanity told Jet of her health issues. “I had internal bleeding with blood clots on the brain. I was completely blind and deaf. I had a heart attack and a stroke.”

In her autobiography, “Blame It On Vanity: Hollywood, Hell and Heaven,” she chronicled her struggles and ultimate triumph over a lifestyle she described as filled with lust, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. She became an evangelist, sharing her story with fervor, hoping to rescue others from the pitfalls of a deceptive and destructive lifestyle. Her message emphasized a shift from outward appearances to the transformation of the inward self.

In her later years, Denise faced health challenges, including a kidney transplant in 1997. Despite the obstacles, she remained dedicated to her Christian faith, refusing royalties from her entertainment career and choosing to live a life aligned with her newfound values.

When she died, Matthews left the bulk of her estate to her friends, the Revs. Willie and Roxanne Harper, who head the Jesus Christ For All Ministries church in Northern California. They were also the executors of her estate and received Matthews’ 2007 Saturn, a Buick Encore, a $39,000 diamond ring, another $7,000 in jewelry, the contents of her house, a sword collection and 40 percent of the publishing and movie rights to her autobiography, “I Blame Vanity.” The Harpers also got 75 percent of all the money in Matthews’ checking and savings account, though the will doesn’t specify how much money was in those accounts, Bossip reported.

Denise Matthews (Vanity), photos via Facebook.