Prince collaborator Cat Glover, famed for her Alphabet St rap and striking choreography, has died

Prince collaborator Cat Glover - perhaps best known for her rap on Prince’s 1988 single Alphabet St (“Cat, we need you to rap!”) - has died, it’s been confirmed. Reports indicate that she was either 60 or 62.

Having made her name as part of a dance duo, Pat & Cat, with her professional partner Patrick Allen, she arrived in the Prince universe in the mid ‘80s, operating as a choreographer and dancer on his legendary Sign o’ the Times and Lovesexy tours.

Indeed, it’s Glover’s choreography you see in Prince’s Sign o’ the Times film, widely considered to be one of the greatest concert movies of all time. She also plays a notable role in the video for I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man, which is lifted directly from the movie.

It’s believed that there were plans for Glover to release an album on Prince’s Paisley Park label, but these were ultimately shelved. She does, however, provide another rap on Cindy C, a track from Prince’s lost Black Album. Originally intended to fill Lovesexy’s place in his discography but cancelled at the last minute, this finally got a release in 1994.

Glover stopped working with Prince at the end of the Lovesexy era but did eventually release an EP, Catwoman, in 1989. This was produced by Tim Simenon (Bomb the Bass). Away from the studio, she continued to work as a choreographer and performer.