Portrait of Vanity

Birthday profile

Vanity

Canadian singer, songwriter, model, actress (1959–2016)

Born
January 4, 1959
Died
February 15, 2016
Zodiac sign
Capricorn
Birth year
1959

About Vanity

Denise Katherine Matthews (January 4, 1959 – February 15, 2016), known professionally as Vanity, was a Canadian singer, songwriter, dancer, model, and actress. Known for her image as a sex symbol in the 1980s, in the 1990s she renounced her career as Vanity and became an evangelist. She was the lead singer of the female trio Vanity 6, created by the musician Prince. Known for their 1982 hit song "Nasty Girl", they disbanded in 1983 when Vanity embarked on a solo career. She released two solo albums on the Motown Records label, Wild Animal and Skin on Skin, and had three minor hit singles. As an actress, she starred in the films The Last Dragon (1985), 52 Pick-Up (1986), Never Too Young to Die (1986), and Action Jackson (1988). After years of drug abuse causing kidney problems, Matthews became a born-again Christian in 1992 and later devoted herself to her church in Fremont, California. Matthews died of kidney failure on February 15, 2016, aged 57.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Vanity was born

Vanity was born in 1959. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1959

  • #1 song"Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin
  • Top movieBen-Hur
  • Top TV showGunsmoke
  • Best-selling bookGoldfinger – Ian Fleming

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentIngemar Johansson knocks out Floyd Patterson for heavyweight title
  • Top headlineAlaska and Hawaii become the 49th and 50th US states
  • Technology milestoneMicrochip (integrated circuit) invented
  • Defining fadBarbie dolls
  • Notable inventionBarbie doll
  • World population2.98 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderDwight D. Eisenhower
  • Sports championLos Angeles Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population177.1M

1959 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Vanity's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19592026
Gas$0.31$3.45/gal
Average home$12,400$435,000
Average income$7,000$67,500
Minimum wage$1.00$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.69$11.95
Postage stamp$0.04$0.73
Population177.1M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.