From glam to groceries, it’s Sheena at 56
SHE was the sultry British singer who conquered America in the Eighties with her big hair, figure-hugging outfits and heavy make-up.
But emptying a supermarket trolley in jeans and a baggy top, Sheena Easton is unrecognisable from her heyday.
A string of hits included risque collaborations with Prince after she became his muse and, it was rumoured, his lover. When he died last week, Miss Easton paid tribute to her ‘warm and generous, gentle and kind’ mentor.
Scottish-born Miss Easton, 56, pictured near her home outside Las Vegas, was 21 when she found fame on Esther Rantzen’s talent show The Big Time in 1980.
Her first hit, 9 to 5, topped the US charts and she was chosen to sing the Bond theme For Your Eyes Only. She moved to America and had a Top 10 hit with Sugar Walls, written for her by Prince. They recorded together, topping the charts with singles including U Got The Look.
Her pop stardom helped Miss Easton land a role in the hit TV series Miami Vice and it was claimed that she was worth £40million – a figure she insisted was greatly exaggerated.
Married four times – none of her marriages lasted longer than two years – she adopted two children and stepped back from showbusiness in the Nineties. While still touring occasionally, Miss Easton has not released an album in 16 years
In her tribute to Prince, she said: ‘It is impossible to sum up in a few neat phrases what his loss means to all of us. He has been described as iconic, innovative, controversial, unique, charismatic and one of the driving forces of music for the last four decades. Yes, he was all of those things, but he was also warm and generous, gentle and kind and when he chose you as his friend, you were blessed.’
‘Impossible to sum up the loss’