ILOSM fam’ the late former Vanity 6 lead singer, Denise “Vanity” Matthews, has two beautiful sisters. As if that wasn’t already surprising enough to those of us who had no clue Vanity had siblings at all, we have another shocker to share. It was brought to our attention, a while back, that one of Vanity’s sisters is an actress who was in Coming To America. *SCROLL DOWN TO SEE BOTH OF VANITY’S SISTERS*

Although I’ve watched Coming To America more times than I can count, I never put two and two together, that Vanity’s sister was actually in the film. If you’ve seen Coming To America, you will probably be like ‘Say what? SHE is Vanity’s sister?’ Well, at least that was the response of some of us, here at ILOSM.  See who she is below…

Meet Vanity’s “Coming To America” Actress Sister, Patricia Matthews

Her Coming To America Role: “I Worship The Devil” Actress

Vanity’s sister is actress, Patricia Matthews, the woman who played the devil worshipper in Coming To America. Although her role was brief, it was still hilarious. She’s the woman who Eddie’s and Arsenio’s characters (“Akeem” and “Semmi”) met when they went to a nightclub to try to find Eddie’s character a “Queen” to take back home to Africa. They struck out big time and Patricia’s character ran them away as soon as she said her line, “I’ve got a secret, I worship the devil.” LOL.

Patricia was also a model and she didn’t have a long stint in the acting world. She’s most known for her roles in Coming To America (1988),  She Cried No (1996) and The First of May (1999). We have no idea what Patricia is up to nowadays, but we found an Old School interview she and her beloved sister, Vanity  being interviewed on the Arsenio Hall Show in 1986.

She Was Eddie’s Girlfriend…

Another Old School fun fact about Patricia, is that she dated Eddie Murphy back in the day, prior to him marrying his now ex-wife, Nicole Murphy. They were even photo’d in Jet Magazine together back in the day.

Watch Vanity and Patricia reveal that info to Arsenio, as Vanity attempts to explain her short jail stint, this is too funny…

Check Out Vanity’s Other Sister

One other Old School fun fact about Vanity and Patricia Matthews is that they actually have one more sister named Renee. You can pics of her below…

Renee paid homage to her beloved sister, Denise, on Twitter after she passed away in 2016…

Allegations Regarding Vanity’s Will & Her Sisters

Denise’s sisters were also the talk of the internet for a brief second, soon after Denise’s unfortunate February 15, 2016 passing at the age of 57, from kidney failure. The reason some people were kind of talking about the sisters was because of reports regarding Denise’s will. There were unconfirmed reports that the sisters were allegedly left little in Vanity’s will, while the bulk of it went to the church.

However, we’re not sure if the whole ‘will rumor’ is true, or not, so y’all can take that part with a grain of salt. However, if it is true, it wouldn’t seem far fetched because by the time of her passing, Denise was already 20+ years deep into her changed life as a devout Christian and evangelist.

Denise was very close with her sisters, who seemed to always have her back through the ups, the downs, and the in between times of uncertainties throughout her life. Denise “Vanity” Matthews is sorely missed. The impact she made both in entertainment and in her personal life – as someone who in later years, dedicated herself toward helping others and feeding the homeless- will never be forgotten. Rest on Ms. Matthews.

The post Denise “Vanity” Matthew’s Sister Is A “Coming To America” Actress Who Dated Eddie Murphy appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Anthony Smith (53), ex-husband of late ex-Vanity 6 lead singer, Denise “Vanity” Matthews, is currently serving three life sentences after being convicted of three horrific crimes. Aside from being Vanity’s ex-husband, Anthony is the former star NFL defensive end for the Oakland Raiders (from 1991-1997). He later signed with the Denver Broncos, before suddenly walking away from that contract and retiring from the NFL altogether. That’s when life begin to spiral out of control for Anthony. His friends and family say he had two personalities- a short tempered man who can be cold at times; and the 6’4″ 320 pound gentle giant, with very polite manners. For Vanity, he seemed to be a nightmare…and the man who helped save her life at one point. Details below…

Why Vanity’s Ex-Hubby Was Convicted Of 3 Life Terms

In 2016, Anthony was convicted of three consecutive life sentences, without the possibility of parole in a Lancaster, Ca. court for  the 1999 murders and kidnapping of brothers/business owners, Kevin and Ricky Nettles; as well as the 2001 murder of Dennis Henderson. Smith might also be re-tried in a fourth murder case for the 2008 shooting death of Maurilio Ponce, a 31-year-old auto-mechanic. That particular 2012 Ponce case ended in a mistrial after the jury was deadlocked.

The Nettles brothers’ bodies were found with their heads wrapped in duct tape. Henderson was found stabbed and brutally beaten to death in the back of a rental car.

Love At First Sight For Vanity & Smith…They Married QUICK

It was during Anthony’s stint with the Oakland Raiders that he and Vanity had a short marriage…and an even shorter courtship. Word on the old school curb is that Vanity met Anthony — who was eight years her junior — and she actually proposed to him THREE DAYS later. They wed in 1995.

Sadly, Their Marriage Wasn’t All Good…It Was Reportedly Violent

Here is what was reported by GQ Magazine about their tumultuous relationship:

Vis GQ: After reading an article about the young Raider, Denise Matthews, a.k.a. Vanity, now a born-again Christian, arranged a meeting with Anthony. Three days later she proposed to him, and one month after they met, he made her his second wife. … But this new marriage, too, quickly turned to dust, recalls Dwayne Simon, a friend of Anthony’s from that time. Dwayne remembers one uncomfortable team-family breakfast before a Raiders game when Denise said or did something that made Anthony furious. “He grabbed her by the arm, made her sit down,” says Dwayne, a producer with the L.A. Posse and Def Jam who arranged music for Raiders games. “She tried to get up, but he snatched her back down: ‘Get down!’ I was really scared for Vanity. I thought he was going to break her friggin’ arm.”

At the same time, Smith was telling one of his rich-white-businessman friends that he had helped Denise get a kidney. (Her body was hard hit from years of drug use before she swore off that life and turned to God.) What a good guy. What an angry one. Was one of those Anthonys more true than the other? Or had he just become a violent man who knew how to shine?

Denise “Vanity” Matthews and Anthony Smith eventually divorced in 1996.

Smith’s Next Wife & Friends Reportedly Stopped Showing Up For Him After He ‘Changed’

Anthony married his third and current wife, attorney Theresa White, in 1997. Theresa previously supported Anthony during his past trials, but for his most recent murder trials, there was no one in the courtroom for him, except his defense attorney. However, the families and children of the murder victims were constantly present.

Loved ones of Anthony Smith reported that he’d changed a lot, and isolated most of them from his life, befriending gangsters instead.

More Legal Trouble For Anthony Smith

In 2003 Anthony had a heated argument with a female owner of a furniture store in Santa Monica, CA over money. Soon after the argument, that store was set on fire using homemade firebombs stuffed with a bunch of mail from Anthony’s home – his name and his address were on the mail.

Prosecutors were confident that case was a for-sure win. However, the ex-NFL’er was tried twice for arson in the case and both times the jury deadlocked. Interestingly, throughout the Anthony’s arson trials, several of his friends — alleged gang members, – sat in court every day and stared down the jury. It’s still unclear if the ‘gangster stare-downs’ invoked fear in the jurors, or if the jurors sincerely believed Anthony didn’t commit the arson.

Fast forward to today’s times, and Anthony Smith is still serving three life terms without the possibility of parole for the three aforementioned murder convictions. His attorneys say they plan to appeal the decision.

CTE, Or Simply Deranged?

After learning the details of Anthony’s self-destructive story, the film, Concussion — which highlighted the often violent mental condition, CTE — comes to mind.

Maybe he simply became a violent man on his own…or maybe he could be affected by CTE, just like we’re now seeing with several other ex-NFL players. Who knows? The downfall with diagnosing CTE is that there is no way to determine this, until after a player’s death.

Nevertheless, if Anthony committed those crimes, he deserves to do the time. We wish peace and comfort over the families of the victims.

The post Vanity’s NFL Ex-Husband Was Sentenced To 3 Life Terms In Prison For Unspeakable Crime appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Remember “Bruce Leroy” from the ’80s movie, The Last Dragon? Well you probably never knew his real name, but almost all old schoolers know his face. His name is Taimak and nope there is no last name…it’s just Taimak. Well, dude is back on the scene after taking a long hiatus from the movie industry. He’s part of the cast of Twelve Angry Men and lately, he’s been making his rounds promoting the new project, as well as his upcoming autobiography, Taimak: The Last Dragon.

In a 2015 “Breakfast Club” interview (prior to Vanity’s passing), Taimak chatted it up with co-hosts, Angela Yee, Charlamagne the God, and DJ Envy. During the interview, they asked him to confirm some inside information they’d heard about himself; the beloved late Vanity 6 lead singer, Denise “Vanity” Matthews; and Motown creator (and executive producer of The Last Dragon), Berry Gordy. Taimak tried his best to be modest and play it cool, but he ultimately answered the questions as honestly as he could at that time.

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Basically what he revealed was that while Berry Gordy and the rest of the production team for The Last Dragon were still casting for the roles in the film, Gordy asked Taimak in a more explicit way, ‘What entertainer would Taimak like to get with’ (get with, as in have sexual relations of some sort), because that’s who Gordy would then attempt to cast as “Bruce Leroy’s” love interest.  Taimak confessed  that he’d told Gordy he had a thing for Vanity and as you can see, Gordy pulled some strings and made it happen.

Now, here’s where the interview got even more interesting – aside from learning that Mr. Gordy is obviously a lil’ more raw than we publicly know him to be – when they tried to get more info out of Taimak, he very politely implied that he and Vanity did, in fact, end up “getting with” each other. When Charlamagne directly asked Taimak if he and Vanity took things to that next level, Taimak tried to avoid the question. However, after more pressing by Charlamagne, Taimak finally confessed, “Well…I’m gonna leave it as…we were affectionate.”

It would have been cool to see Taimak and Denise “Vanity” Matthews continue a relationship after the film, they probably would’ve made a good couple.

Taimak also touched on the topic of being in Janet Jackson’s video for “Let’s Wait A While” and how it was “awkward” because her husband at the time, Rene’ Elizondo, was all in his grill and standing about six feet from the camera throughout the entire process. Geesh, Rene’ wasn’t trying to let nobody get next to his woman!

Interestingly, The Breakfast Club has removed Taimak’s interview from their Youtube channel, but not before many media outlets were able to grab the Old School gems he’d already divulged. He later discussed some of these topics in a Vlad TV interview as well.

The post What “Last Dragon” Actor Disclosed About Vanity, Berry Gordy, And Janet May Trip You Out appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Remember “Bruce Leroy” from the ’80s movie, The Last Dragon? Well you probably never knew his real name, but almost all old schoolers know his face. His name is Taimak and nope there is no last name…it’s just Taimak. Well, dude is back on the scene after taking a long hiatus from the movie industry. He’s part of the cast of Twelve Angry Men and lately, he’s been making his rounds promoting the new project, as well as his upcoming autobiography, Taimak: The Last Dragon.

In a 2015 “Breakfast Club” interview (prior to Vanity’s passing), Taimak chatted it up with co-hosts, Angela Yee, Charlamagne the God, and DJ Envy. During the interview, they asked him to confirm some inside information they’d heard about himself; the beloved late Vanity 6 lead singer, Denise “Vanity” Matthews; and Motown creator (and executive producer of The Last Dragon), Berry Gordy. Taimak tried his best to be modest and play it cool, but he ultimately answered the questions as honestly as he could at that time.

Embed from Getty Images

Basically what he revealed was that while Berry Gordy and the rest of the production team for The Last Dragon were still casting for the roles in the film, Gordy asked Taimak in a more explicit way, ‘What entertainer would Taimak like to get with’ (get with, as in have sexual relations of some sort), because that’s who Gordy would then attempt to cast as “Bruce Leroy’s” love interest.  Taimak confessed  that he’d told Gordy he had a thing for Vanity and as you can see, Gordy pulled some strings and made it happen.

Now, here’s where the interview got even more interesting – aside from learning that Mr. Gordy is obviously a lil’ more raw than we publicly know him to be – when they tried to get more info out of Taimak, he very politely implied that he and Vanity did, in fact, end up “getting with” each other. When Charlamagne directly asked Taimak if he and Vanity took things to that next level, Taimak tried to avoid the question. However, after more pressing by Charlamagne, Taimak finally confessed, “Well…I’m gonna leave it as…we were affectionate.”

It would have been cool to see Taimak and Denise “Vanity” Matthews continue a relationship after the film, they probably would’ve made a good couple.

Taimak also touched on the topic of being in Janet Jackson’s video for “Let’s Wait A While” and how it was “awkward” because her husband at the time, Rene’ Elizondo, was all in his grill and standing about six feet from the camera throughout the entire process. Geesh, Rene’ wasn’t trying to let nobody get next to his woman!

Interestingly, The Breakfast Club has removed Taimak’s interview from their Youtube channel, but not before many media outlets were able to grab the Old School gems he’d already divulged. He later discussed some of these topics in a Vlad TV interview as well.

The post What “Last Dragon” Actor Disclosed About Vanity, Berry Gordy, And Janet May Trip You Out appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

ILOSM fam’ the late former Vanity 6 lead singer, Denise “Vanity” Matthews, has two beautiful sisters. As if that wasn’t already surprising enough to those of us who had no clue Vanity had siblings at all, we have another shocker to share. It was brought to our attention, a while back, that one of Vanity’s sisters is an actress who was in Coming To America. *SCROLL DOWN TO SEE BOTH OF VANITY’S SISTERS*

Although I’ve watched Coming To America more times than I can count, I never put two and two together, that Vanity’s sister was actually in the film. If you’ve seen Coming To America, you will probably be like ‘Say what? SHE is Vanity’s sister?’ Well, at least that was the response of some of us, here at ILOSM.  See who she is below…

Meet Vanity’s “Coming To America” Actress Sister, Patricia Matthews

Her Coming To America Role: “I Worship The Devil” Actress

Vanity’s sister is actress, Patricia Matthews, the woman who played the devil worshipper in Coming To America. Although her role was brief, it was still hilarious. She’s the woman who Eddie’s and Arsenio’s characters (“Akeem” and “Semmi”) met when they went to a nightclub to try to find Eddie’s character a “Queen” to take back home to Africa. They struck out big time and Patricia’s character ran them away as soon as she said her line, “I’ve got a secret, I worship the devil.” LOL.

Patricia was also a model and she didn’t have a long stint in the acting world. She’s most known for her roles in Coming To America (1988),  She Cried No (1996) and The First of May (1999). We have no idea what Patricia is up to nowadays, but we found an Old School interview she and her beloved sister, Vanity  being interviewed on the Arsenio Hall Show in 1986.

She Was Eddie’s Girlfriend…

Another Old School fun fact about Patricia, is that she dated Eddie Murphy back in the day, prior to him marrying his now ex-wife, Nicole Murphy. They were even photo’d in Jet Magazine together back in the day.

Watch Vanity and Patricia reveal that info to Arsenio, as Vanity attempts to explain her short jail stint, this is too funny…

Check Out Vanity’s Other Sister

One other Old School fun fact about Vanity and Patricia Matthews is that they actually have one more sister named Renee. You can pics of her below…

Renee paid homage to her beloved sister, Denise, on Twitter after she passed away in 2016…

Allegations Regarding Vanity’s Will & Her Sisters

Denise’s sisters were also the talk of the internet for a brief second, soon after Denise’s unfortunate February 15, 2016 passing at the age of 57, from kidney failure. The reason some people were kind of talking about the sisters was because of reports regarding Denise’s will. There were unconfirmed reports that the sisters were allegedly left little in Vanity’s will, while the bulk of it went to the church.

However, we’re not sure if the whole ‘will rumor’ is true, or not, so y’all can take that part with a grain of salt. However, if it is true, it wouldn’t seem far fetched because by the time of her passing, Denise was already 20+ years deep into her changed life as a devout Christian and evangelist.

Denise was very close with her sisters, who seemed to always have her back through the ups, the downs, and the in between times of uncertainties throughout her life. Denise “Vanity” Matthews is sorely missed. The impact she made both in entertainment and in her personal life – as someone who in later years, dedicated herself toward helping others and feeding the homeless- will never be forgotten. Rest on Ms. Matthews.

The post Vanity’s Sister Is A “Coming To America” Actress Who Dated Eddie Murphy appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

The actress/singer who replaced the late, Denise “Vanity” Matthews in the 1984 film, Purple Rain, Apollonia Kotero, spoke out this week to pay homage to her “idol,” Vanity, who sadly passed away on February 15, 2016. Prince’s Purple Rain co-star spoke with The Associated Press and expressed how much she idolized Vanity back in the day.

In case you haven’t heard, it was Prince’s protege’ and then girlfriend, Vanity, who the part Apollonia played was originally written for. There was a change of plans at the last minute during the pre-production phase of Purple Rain, after Prince and Vanity had gotten into an argument- a lover’s quarrel if you will- and Vanity walked away from the film. Prince had to quickly find a replacement, so he chose Apollonia and thus the birth of Apollonia 6, with the other two original members, Brenda and Susan, emerged.

Now here is what Apollonia said this week about Vanity, whom she eventually became friends with back in the day:
“She was an inspiration to me, just like she was to all the ladies that followed. She was a pioneer, a strong woman, she was a diva, the princess of funk…the audiences absolutely adored her.”

Apollonia said that she and Vanity had kind of lost contact over the years, but more recently had been keeping in touch through social media. She also says that she still has the magazine cover that features Prince and Vanity together because she always admired their love and their accomplishments in music: “[When I saw it], I thought, I wish I could do that someday,” she said. “I want to be like them; I want to be special like them,” Apollonia said to the AP.

After Prince and Vanity eventually broke up in 1984, Vanity did an interview with People Magazine that same year where she revealed “I needed one person to love me, and he [Prince] needed more.” Vanity and Prince later became great friends.

Prince also recently paid a touching tribute to Vanity at his concert.

It’s still almost unbelievable that Vanity has passed away so young, only 57 years old. The beautiful thing about this though, is that Denise Vanity Matthews seemed to be at peace with taking her last breathe. As we reported a few days ago, those close to her revealed that while attending church services just a few days before she passed away, she stated to the congregation that she was “ready to go home,” meaning depart from this earth. May our beloved Vanity have a wonderful, peaceful rest.

The post “Purple Rain” Actress, Apollonia, Speaks Out & Pays Tribute To Vanity appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Armed just with a piano…Prince put on the kind of concert you just don’t expect to see from a superstar. It was spontaneous and intimate. It was like a private piano party, just with 2000 people watching. It was pure Prince.

His first Melbourne show at the State Theatre was particularly emotionally charged — Prince admitting he’d just found out about the death of Denise Matthews, aka Vanity, his ex-girlfriend from the early ‘80s and protoge when she fronted the band Vanity 6.

“Someone dear to us has passed away, I’m gonna dedicate this song to her,” Prince said before playing a touching version of Little Red Corvette with a touch of Dirty Mind, songs from the era when they were together.

After an encore Prince returned to the stage noting;

“I am new to this playing alone. I thank you all for being so patient. I’m trying to stay focused, it’s a little heavy for me tonight. Just keep jamming … She knows about this one.” That introduced a truly incredible version of The Beautiful Ones, another song from the Vanity era (she was the original choice for lead in the Purple Rain movie), the song ending with Prince changing “my knees” for “Denise … Denise”.

“Can I tell you a story about Vanity? Or should I tell you a story about Denise? Her and I used to love each other deeply. She loved me for the artist I was, I loved her for the artist she was trying to be. She and I would fight. She was very headstrong cos she knew she was the finest woman in the world. She never missed an opportunity to tell you that.”

Prince then opened up about a fight where he threatened to throw Vanity in the pool. She said “You can’t throw me in the pool, you’re too little”. He then asked his six foot bodyguard Chick to do the dirty work for him.

“I probably shouldn’t be telling this story,“ he said, “but she’d want us to celebrate her life and not mourn her.”

The show mixed hits (Money Don’t Matter 2Nite, If I Was UR Girlfriend, How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore) and covers (Bob Marley’s Waiting in Vain) with deep cuts, including the recently reclaimed 1992 song A 1000 Hugs and Kisses and new tunes Big City, Satisfied and When She Comes.

That was a beautiful thing Prince did in Vanity’s honor. They created musical magic together back in the day and her impact on R&B will forever be remembered by millions. As we stated yesterday, Vanity had just admitted to her church congregation that she was “ready to go home.” She is now resting peacefully just like the many other greats, we seem to sadly be losing at a rapid rate as of late.

Source

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Vanity had a lot of ups and downs in her life, from drug addictions, to domestic abuse, to ultimately making her transition into a devout Christian. Now she has finally made her last transition and we pray that she is now resting in peace. Sleep well Queen.
Here are the details surrounding her death:
Vanity has battled kidney failure, received a kidney transplant, and recently has experienced severe abdominal pain, which unofficially appears to have led to her death, after years of battling with this condition.

According to TMZ, sources close to the family reported that Vanity took her last breathe at a Fremont, CA hospital today (2-15-16). Just a few months ago, Vanity announced that she was diagnosed with sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis (an inflammation of the small intestines) and she’d set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for her medical expenses.
Her kidneys were destroyed after years of battling a cocaine addiction, which ultimately led to an overdose in 1994, sending her kidneys into destruction. She’s undergone almost daily dialysis treatments.

According to sources, Vanity attended church services on Saturday evening and expressed to the congregation that she was “ready to go home.”

Now Denise “Vanity” Matthews is on her journey ‘home.’ Have a beautiful trip Ms. Matthews and thank you for a job well done here on earth. Rest well.

The post R.I.P. So Sad, Soul Singer Vanity Passes Away At Age 57 (Details) appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Anthony Smith, ex-husband of the late former Vanity 6 lead singer, Denise “Vanity” Matthews, was recently convicted of murdering three men in 1999 and 2001.

In 2014, Anthony was convicted in a Lancaster, Ca. court for the 1999 murders and kidnapping of brothers/business owners, Kevin and Ricky Nettles, and the 2001 murder of Dennis Henderson. Smith might also be re-tried in a fourth murder case for the 2008 shooting death of Maurilio Ponce, a 31-year-old auto-mechanic. That particular 2012 Ponce case ended in a mistrial after the jury was deadlocked.

The Nettles brothers’ bodies were found with their heads wrapped in duct tape. Henderson was found stabbed and brutally beaten to death in the back of a rental car.

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Aside from being Vanity’s ex-husband, Anthony may look familiar to you because he is the former star NFL defensive end for the Oakland Raiders (from 1991-1997). After parting ways with the Raiders in 1997, he signed with the Denver Broncos before suddenly walking away from that contract and retiring from the NFL altogether. That’s when life begin to spiral out of control for Anthony, and his friends and family say he had two personalities- a short tempered man who can be cold at times; and the 6’4″ 320 pound gentle giant with very polite manners.

It was during this time that Anthony and Vanity had a short marriage and an even shorter courtship. Word on the old school curb is that Vanity met Anthony, who was eight years her junior, and she actually proposed to him 3 DAYS later. Wow, it must have been love at first sight.

Everything wasn’t all good with their marriage though. Here is what was reported by GQ Magazine about their tumultuous relationship:

After reading an article about the young Raider, Denise Matthews, a.k.a. Vanity, now a born-again Christian, arranged a meeting with Anthony. Three days later she proposed to him, and one month after they met, he made her his second wife. (He’d had a brief marriage to a young actress a few years earlier.) But this new marriage, too, quickly turned to dust, recalls Dwayne Simon, a friend of Anthony’s from that time. Dwayne remembers one uncomfortable team-family breakfast before a Raiders game when Denise said or did something that made Anthony furious. “He grabbed her by the arm, made her sit down,” says Dwayne, a producer with the L.A. Posse and Def Jam who arranged music for Raiders games. “She tried to get up, but he snatched her back down: ‘Get down!’ I was really scared for Vanity. I thought he was going to break her friggin’ arm.”

At the same time, Smith was telling one of his rich-white-businessman friends that he had helped Denise get a kidney. (Her body was hard hit from years of drug use before she swore off that life and turned to God.) What a good guy. What an angry one. Was one of those Anthony’s more true than the other? Or had he just become a violent man who knew how to shine?

It’s a good thing Vanity got away from Anthony before things escalated to the point of no return.

After he and Vanity divorced, Anthony married his third and current wife, attorney Theresa White. Theresa had previously supported Anthony in his past trials, but in his most recent murder trials, there was no one in the courtroom for Anthony, except his defense attorney. The families and children of the murder victims were in the court in full effect though.

Friends and family of Anthony Smith reported that he’d changed a lot and had isolated most of them from his life and befriended gangsters instead.
Those three murders aren’t the only legal trials Anthony has seen. In 2003 he got into a heated argument with a female owner of a furniture store in Santa Monica, Ca. over money. Soon after the argument, the store was set on fire using homemade firebombs that were stuffed with a bunch of mail from Anthony’s home. It had his name and his address on it. Prosecutors just knew that case was a for sure win, but Anthony was tried twice for arson in the case and both times the jury deadlocked. Also, several of his friends, who were alleged gang members, sat in court every day of the trial and stared down the jury. It isn’t certain if that invoked any type of fear into the jurors though, or if they sincerely believed Anthony didn’t commit the arson.
Fast forward to today and Anthony Smith is now serving three life terms without the possibility of parole. His attorneys say they plan to appeal the decision.

After seeing the details of Anthony’s story and his dissent into self destruction, it’s very difficult not to have thoughts of the movie, Concussion, floating through my mind. Thanks to Dr. Omalu Bennett (a forensic and neuropathologist played by Will Smith) study of the brains of NFL players, we now know that a brain condition, called CTE, will continue to affect many NFL players. CTE is the result of taking too many blows to the head, causing damage to the brain, which ultimately causes the players to began to act out in extremely violent, self-destructive ways and even commit suicide.

Maybe Anthony Smith just became a violent man on his own, or maybe he could be affected by CTE…who knows? The downfall is that there is no way to determine this, until after a player’s death. In the meantime, if he did those crimes, he deserves to do the time. We wish peace and comfort over the families of the victims.

The post Vanity’s Ex Husband Was Sentenced To 3 Life Terms In Prison Following Horrific Crime appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Our beloved Denise “Vanity” Matthews met the iconic Prince at the American Music Awards and was blown away by him, but what many don’t know is that she went there with his then musical rival, the legendary Rick James and reportedly ended up leaving with Prince instead. Interesting, right?

Well, word on the Old School curb is that our girl Vanity was originally never supposed to be in Vanity 6, but the reason it all happened was because when she was with Rick James that night at the AMA’s, he was in the process of prepping her to be the lead singer of The Mary Jane Girls. After bailing out with Prince, Vanity obviously threw Rick’s whole Mary Jane Girls idea out of the window.

Rick also claimed in his book, “The Confessions Of Rick James: Memoirs Of A Superfreak,” that Prince jacked his entire concept of The Mary Jane Girls and created Vanity 6, after Rick confided in Prince about the idea he had of creating a multi-ethnic, all-female group that would have a super sexy appeal. Rick said he was pissed about that and made sure that he groomed The Mary Jane Girls to be better than Vanity 6. What do you think ILOSM family? Who’s group was better, Prince’s, or Rick James’?

That wasn’t the last time Vanity allegedly ditched a plan just before it was about to take off from the runway: Prince had actually written the song, “Glamorous Life” for Vanity, but she decided to leave before recording it and go to Motown Records, so Prince gave it to Sheila E. instead, which wasn’t a bad look at all by the way.

The things you learn when you do a little background checking. All in all, we’re glad that Vanity ended up being in Vanity 6 because Vanity 6 and The Mary Jane Girls had two very distinctive chemistries and changing one piece of that foundation would have probably thrown the whole vibe of the groups off. Maybe that’s why Prince’s revised group, Appolonia 6, didn’t have much life after Purple Rain. Appolonia worked well for the movie, but as a real-life group it would have been hard for us to adapt to her without our girl, Vanity, in the mix.

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