Cat Glover, Prince’s ‘Sign O’ the Times’-Era Muse, Dies at 60

Dancer-choreographer-singer Catherine “Cat” Glover, Prince’s onstage foil during his late-‘80s “Sign O’ the Times” / “Lovesexy” era, has died, according to a post on her official Facebook page. No cause of death was cited; she was 60.

“It’s with great sadness that we formally announce the passing of Catherine Vernice Glover- AKA ‘Cat.’ Please allow her children, family and friends privacy at this difficult time,” the statement reads.

Glover’s work with Prince lasted just two years but she was a vibrant onstage presence during his elaborate concerts during that era, dancing, singing and rapping prominently throughout most of the shows and appearing in the small skits sprinkled throughout his electrifying 1987 “Sign O’ the Times” concert film. She also performs the rap in his 1988 hit “Alphabet Street.”

A tall, energetic and physical dancer, she is also a big presence in many of his videos from the period, notably “U Got the Look” and “I Cloud Never Take the Place of Your Man” — in the middle of the latter, Prince asks her out for a date and she tells him to “Fuck off!”

At the time of her arrivial in the group, Prince had recently split up the Revolution, the “Purple Rain”-era band that helped loft him to superstardom. Like that group, the new one had a strong female presence, with Glover up front, Sheila E. playing drums and singing, and Aretha-esque soul shouter Boni Boyer on keyboards and vocals; sadly, one of Glover’s last Facebook posts remembers Boyer, who died suddenly of a brain aneurysm in 1996 at the age of just 38.

However, Prince’s music changed direction after “Lovesexy,” and the three women left the group after the conclusion of the album tour in 1989.

Born Catherine Vernice Glover in Chicago in 1964, Glover began dancing at the age of 5 and was an early Prince fan. “I first heard about Prince after his album, Dirty Mind. I was living on my own on the North Side of Chicago,” she told the Chicago Crusader. “The only thing that got me through my depression from everything was listening to Prince’s album, ‘Dirty Mind.’ I knew I had to meet him. That was me talking to my inner self.”

Her break as a dancer occurred on the talent show “Star Search,” where she and partner Patrick Allen (performing as Pat and Cat), seven out of eight competitions on the show but fell short in the finals. However, her appearance on the show led to serious work offers: David Bowie approached her to join him on his “Glass Spider” tour but instead she joined Prince late in 1986.

Glover had been working with Prince on a solo album during her time with the band, with at least a couple of songs with cat-themed titles, but it remains unreleased. Her only solo release was a 1989 single called “Catwoman” produced by British dance-music ace Tim Simenon, however she continued to work as a dancer and choreographer for many years after.