RI’s Barbara Lee, Who Dated, Starred with Prince, Remembers Singer
GoLocalProv News Team and Kate Nagle
RI’s Barbara Lee, Who Dated, Starred with Prince, Remembers Singer
“It’s beyond shocking. I did know he was sick. But I was out golfing today, and my phone just started going off,” said Lee. “I worked with Michael Jackson on a Pepsi commercial. I worked with David Bowie. I was Whitney Houston’s stand-in for The Bodyguard. They’re all gone. The only one left is Madonna.”
Lee, who was a regular on the CBS television series "In the Heat of the Night", had featured roles in "Last Action Hero", "Married with Children", "Dallas", “Falcon's Crest", and "Better Days", recalled how she met Prince (whose full name is Prince Rogers Nelson) — and the legacy that he leaves behind.
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“I was leaving the LA Forum. I was going to China Club, and a girl approached me and said, "You need to come with me, you need to meet someone', and she said I can't tell you,” said Lee. “So I told the doorman if I don't come back in five minutes, that’s the car over there they’re bringing me to. “
“So they lowered the window just enough for me to see his eyes. And I was like, oh wow, it’s Prince, what do I do? He’s having a lollipop, and he asked if I wanted to hang out,” said Lee. “So my mom always told me never get into the car with a stranger, so me, in my Honda Civic, follow him along and I go into the gates of his house. He was a wonderful host, and just a wonderful man. He taught me how to drink tea. When you're young, you don't know these things.”
Working on Insatiable
Lee confirmed that the two were briefly involved for a time. “It was a number of months, I was young,” said Lee.
Lee said that at the time, she was one of the highest paid “video vixens” in the industry. “Insatiable” was released by Prince and The New Power Generation on the 1991 album Diamonds and Pearls.
“It was a twenty-one hour shoot,” said Lee. “The only girls who got more than me at the time for music videos were the supermodels on George Michael’s “Freedom."
That video starred Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington, and Cindy Crawford.
"I was fine with that," laughed Lee.
Prince’s Legacy
“Katrina, you name it, he was there without being 'there,” said Lee. “He always gave without taking credit, and there’s so many people better off today because of him.”
Lee said that Prince has previously unreleased music at his house that will be forthcoming.
“He's got a vault at his home, of music that will be played for years to come,” said Lee. “It will be released beyond the next generation.”
Musicians Who Passed Away in 2016
John Berry
John Berry, one of the founding members of the Beastie Boys, and person responsible for the band's name, passed away on Thursday, May 19 at the age of 52.
Berry's health had been on the decline for the last several years after he suffered from frontal lobe dementia.
Prince
Prince passed away at the age of 57.
Authorities responded to a medical emergency at his Paisley Park studio on Thursday morning. The Carver County Sheriff's department in Chanhassen, Minnesota tells TMZ there has been a fatality, and they're notifying next of kin.
Prince sold over 100 million records worldwide, and won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the first year of his eligibility. Rolling Stone ranked Prince at number 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Keith Emerson
Emerson was the founding member and keyboardist of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. The band is known for songs such as "Lucky Man," and "Tarkus."
Emerson died on March 11, 2016 at the age of 71. Police found him with a single gun shot wound to his head. Police can not yet confirm it was suicide.
David Bowie
David Bowie was a solo artist known for songs such as "Ziggy Stardust," "Space Oddity," and "Fame."
Bowie passed away on January 10 because of Cancer. He was 69.
Photo courtesy of wikipeida
Aaron Huffman
Huffman was a member of the band Harvey Danger and co wrote "Flagpole Sitta," in 1997. The song made it to number 38.
Huffman died of respiratory failure on March 6, 2016 at the age of 43.
Photo courtesy of Aaronhuffman.com
Vanity (Denise Matthews)
Vanity was one of Prince's female proteges and had a number one Dance Club hit with "Nasty girl" in 1982.
Vanity died of Kidney Failure on February 15, 2016 at the age of 57.
Photo courtesy of wikipedia
Dan Hicks
Dan Hicks was known for old time country and jazz. Hicks was part of two bands including The Charlatans and Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks.
Hicks died on February 6, 2016 of throat and liver cancer at the age of 74.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Maurice White
Maurice White, the vocalist and drummer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire co-wrote songs such as "Mighty Mighty," "Devotion" and others.
White died on February 3 2016 of Parkinson's disease.
Photo courtesy of Chris Hakkens/flckr
Paul Kantner
Kantner was a vocalist and guitarist for Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship and wrote the song "We Can Be Together," on the 1969 album Volunteers.
Kantner passed away on January 28, 2016 of multiple organ failure. Kantner was 74.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Glenn Frey
Glenn Frey was a vocalist and guitarist for the Eagles who co-wrote and sang some of the bands greatest hits like "Take it Easy," "Take it to the Limit," and "Hotel California."
Frey passed away on January 18 from Rheumatoid Arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia. He was 67.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Clarence Reid (aka Blowfly)
Clarence Reid was a solo artist known for writing hits for Betty Wright ("Clean up Woman") and Gwen McRae ("Rocking Chair").
Reid died on January 17 of liver cancer. He was 76.
Mic Gillette
Gillette was a trumpeter and trombonist for the band Tower of Power who also performed with the Doobie Brothers and Santana.
Gillette died of a heart attack on January 17. He was 64.
Photo courtesy of towerofpower.yuku.com
Dale Griffin
Griffin (pictured on the right in the red shirt) was the drummer for the band Mott the Hoople and played on the song "All the Young Dudes," in 1972. The song was written by David Bowie.
Griffin died on January 17 from Alzheimer's at the age of 67.
Photo courtesy of Wonker/flickr
Gary Loizzo
Loizzo was a vocalist in the band The American Breed who had their biggest hit "Bend Me, Shape Me," peak at number 5 in 1968.
He went on to be the producer and engineer for Styx.
Loizzo died on January 16 of Pancreatic Cancer. He was 70.
Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia
Otis Clay
Otis Clay was a solo artist known for songs "She's About a Mover," and "Tryin to Live My Life Without You."
Clay died of a heart attack on January 8. He was 73.
Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia
Nicholas Caldwell
Caldwell was a vocalist in the band The Whispers. The group was know for songs such as "Rock Steady," and "And the Beat Goes On."
Caldwell passed away on January 5 due to heart disease. He was 71.
Photo courtesy of The Whispers website.
George Martin
Martin was a producer for The Beatles, arguably the greatest band of all-time, producing over 700 records for the group.
Martin died on March 8 at the age of 90.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Joey Martin Feek
Feek was half of the country duo Joey+Rory.
Feek died on March 4 due to cervical cancer. She was 40 years old.
Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia
Rusty Burns
Rusty Burns was a guitarist who played with he rock band Point Blank. Burns played left handed with his strings upside down.
Burns died on February 19 after a battle with lung cancer. He was 63
Photo courtesy of wikipedia
Joey Floyd
Floyd was a guitarist, fiddler and banjo player in Toby Keith's Easy Money Band.
Floyd passed away on February 14 after a battle with cancer.
Jon Bunch
Bunch was the lead singer of the group Sense Field, a group that put out 5 full length albums.
Bunch passed away on February 1 at the age of 45.
Photo courtesy of Sense Field Facebook.
Signe Anderson
Signe Anderson was the original lead singer for Jefferson Airplane. She sang on the bands 1966 debut album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off.
Anderson died on the same day, January 28, as former band mate Paul Kantner. She was 74.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Colin Vearncombe
Vearncombe is a British singer that is known for "Wonderful Life."
He died in a car crash on January 26. He was 53.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Hurley/flickr
Jimmy Bain
Bain was a bassist for Dio and Rainbow and played alongside Def Leppard guitarist Vivan Campbell in the band Last in Line.
Bain passed away on January 23. He was 68.
Photo courtesy of Dana Wullenwaber/flickr
Kevin Junior
Junior was the frontman for the Chicago indie band Chamber Strings that formed in 1996 and released their first album in 1999 called Gospel Morning.
Junior was 46.
Jason Mackenroth
Mackenroth was a member of the Rolling Band and the drummer fort he Blue Man Group.
He passed away on January 17 after suffering from prostate cancer. Mackenroth was 46.
Photo courtesy of facebook
Giorgio Gomelsky
Gomeisky was a former manager of the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds.
He passed away on January 13 after suffering from cancer. He was 82.
John Berry
Berry was the co-founder of the indie rock band Idaho, who released their debut album Year After Year in 1993.
Berry passed away on January 9 at the age of 51.
Brett Smiley
Smiley released one single, "Va Va Va Voom" during the glam rocker era in the UK.
Smiley passed away on January 8 after a battle with HIV and hepatitis. He was 60.
Craig Strickland
Strickland was a singer for the Backroad Anthem, a new group looking to make a name for themselves.
Strickland died in a hunting accident and his body was found on January 4. He was 29.
Photo courtesy of Backroad Anthem Facebook
Jean-Michel Delpech
Jean-Michel Delpech was a French singer and songwriter.
He passed away on January 2 after a battle with throat cancer.
Photo courtesy of wikipedia
