Purple Protege, Vanity Has Passed At The Age Of 57

It's with a heavy heart we report that Vanity passed away last night at the age of 57 after a bout with kidney and abdominal disease. She was the very first of Prince's purple proteges, singing backup vocals on 1999, ad-libbing in the back of The Time's "The Walk" and famously standing front and center in P's femme fatale trio, Vanity 6, where she earned her breakout with the Prince written and produced smash, "Nasty Girl."

Vanity went on to a solo career with Motown where she churned out two albums, Skin On Skin and Wild Animal, even starring in a good grip of films for Gordy, like Action Jackson and The Last Dragon, the latter of which has reached full cult classic status in the time since, celebrating its 30th year last summer with sold-out screenings in NYC. She was not without her demons, falling victim to drug addiction in the 90s, but was sober for the last decade of her life, finding new purpose as a strict Born-Again Christian. She was a magnetic presence on and off stage and will be missed by many. Rest in purple, dear Vanity.