On Monday evening (Feb. 15), news broke that Denise “Vanity” Matthews passed away after a battle with kidney failure. Matthews was also known for her collaborative work alongside Prince, who recently honored the fallen artist during a show in Australia.
Rolling Stone reports that the “Purple Rain” singer dedicated “The Beautiful Ones” and “Little Red Corvette” to his dear friend. “She loved me for the artist I was, I loved her for the artist she was trying to be. She and I would fight,” he told the Melbourne crowd. “She was very headstrong ’cause she knew she was the finest woman in the world. She never missed an opportunity to tell you that.”
It has been reported that Matthews had an ongoing battle with her health, developing an abdominal illness and endured kidney failure. She passed away at the age of 57.