Catherine Vernice Glover (July 24, 1962 – September 24, 2024) was an American choreographer, dancer, singer, and rapper.[1][2]
Background
Born on July 24, 1962,[3] in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago,[4][a] Glover was raised first there and, from age 10 on, in Morgan Park, Chicago. The youngest of four girls born to Mildred Taylor and Doneall Glover, she was named after her maternal grandmother Catherine Taylor.[4][5] Her birth date is given as July 23, 1964 in a number of obituaries;[6] however, the date July 24, 1962 has been cited both after her death—by her manager, speaking with The New York Times[7]—and during her life, by Glover herself, in a 1989 interview conducted by the performer's cousin, Chicago-based journalist Chinta Strausberg, then with the Chicago Defender.[4]
Glover began performing at age 5 in a group called the Soullettes, started by her eldest sister Mitlitha and featuring the other three, Cat, Cynthia and Christine. At the age of eight, she appeared at the Playboy Towers Hotel in Chicago.[4] Her first taste of mainstream television exposure came on the hit talent show Star Search, alongside dance partner Patrick Allen in the duo known simply as "Pat & Cat".[7] Their act was the first to ever achieve a "Perfect Score" of Four Stars on the show. Glover was the standout member of the duo, winning the crowd over with her trademark dance move "Cat Scat".[citation needed]
Following her work with Prince, she released the EP Catwoman in 1989. Subsequently, she worked in London and Los Angeles, recording her own material as well as continuing her choreography and performing.[9]
Glover had four children and died at her home in Los Angeles, on September 24, 2024, at the age of 62. Her body was discovered the same day. Glover's death was later revealed to be from congestive heart failure and chronic Pulmonary Disease (COPD). [11][7][8][3][12]
Notelist
^Although the source cited specifies neither North nor South Lawndale, it can be confirmed via Google Map search that the specific address cited for her formative years—i.e. 1216 S. Lawndale Avenue, described elsewhere in the article as "in the heart of the impoverished Lawndale area"—is located about a block south of Roosevelt Road, placing it very close to the "heart" of North Lawndale.
^ abcdeStrausberg, Chinta (May 8, 1989). "Lawndale native 'Cat' leaves Prince, leaps to next level". Chicago Defender. p. 21. ProQuest2544735484. Born in the heart of the impoverished Lawndale area, Cat says that her childhood poverty serves as a motivating factor to excel and succeed. [...] A Leo, born under the fire sign of July 24, Cat, who was named after her grandmother, Catherine Taylor, for the first time admits that, while Prince will always hold a special place in her heart, there is a special man in her life. Although she won't give a name, Cat says he is an Englishman in the field who "adores me, and I like him very much.' Asked if marriage is in the offing, she quipped, 'no comment.' Cat, 26, [...] is currently taking acting lessons in Hollywood under the tutelage of Eric Morrison. [...] The youngest girl in a family of six, Cat grew up in a basement apartment at 1216 S. Lawndale Avenue. [...] She began dancing art the age of five under the auspices of her older sister Mitlitha, who named the group the Soulfulletts. Though the youngest, Cate and her sisters, Cynthia and Christine, began performing with area children at black clubs and other social engagements. Her family moved to Morgan Park when she was ten years of age, according to her mother. [...] At the age of eight, she performed at the Playboy Towers in Chicago.
^Strausberg, Chinta (January 19, 1994). "On the Case: Quake shakes buildings, not faith". Chicago Defender. p. 2. ProQuest2545833400. Born Catherine Glover, the daughter of Mildred and Doneall Glover, Cat, 30, is the former lead dancer and singer with Prince's band and played the leading role in Prince's 'Sign O' the Times' in 1989. The slant-eyed feline also accompanied Prince that year on his 'Lovesexy' Japanese tour and has been living in London, England until recently.
