BOSSIP Exclusive: 80s Singer Vanity Leaves Most Of Her Estate To Church
Prince’s Protégé Leaves Memorabilia, $46,000 In Jewelry & Book Rights To Church And Family
80s singer turned evangelist Vanity’s dying wish was to have her ashes scattered over the water off the Hawaiian coast followed by a big party – and left much of her estate to her church.
“Take my ashes and spread me out on the water,” wrote Vanity – who went by her given name Denise Matthews after becoming an evangelist more than 20 years ago.
“Roxanne Harper will do this in Hawaii Halelujah! Please have a party with cake, balloons and ice cream and no tears!,” Matthews added in the 11 page document signed Jan. 23 and filed this week at the Alameda County Superior Court.
Prince’s protégé Matthews, whose 1983 hit “Nasty Girl” catapulted her into the spotlight, died Feb. 15 from a small intestine complication. She was 57.
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.
The former singer named the pair her executors, and, according to the will, they’ll get 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 will also get 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.
Church friend Christine Harris will get Matthew’s second car, 100 percent of the publishing rights to her “White Book Ministries,” 40 percent of her publishing and movie rights, her Mac computer, her bedroom set, 25 percent of whatever’s in Matthew’s checking and savings account and her grandmother’s $7,000 ring.
“The Last Dragon” star was less generous to her family, leaving one sister, Patricia, with 10 percent of her publishing rights, five percent of her movie rights, a little flower lighthouse ornament and any memorabilia that Roxanne Harper wanted to give her.
Another sister, Renay, will get five percent of Matthews’ publishing rights, 10 percent of her movie rights.
Her brother in law, Tobyn Brown, will get everything she owned that was locked up in storage, a large mirror in her bedroom and five percent of the publishing rights to her book. Matthews directed another friend, Leslie Covington, get her “Golden Queen The Lady” art piece on her bedroom wall.
The 80s bombshell released two albums and starred in a string of movies before a drug addiction spiraled out of control. After a 1994 crack binge left her with kidney damage, Matthews became a born again Christian and devoted the remainder of her life to religion.
On her website Matthews wrote that despite her fame, she didn’t have a lot of money and asked for her fans to donate. The will specifies that any debts she had from her hospital stay, funeral and lawyer’s fees must be paid first.
