Funeral services for Catherine “Cat’ Vernice Glover, who died September 25 in her Los Angeles home at age 62, will be privately held in Los Angeles, according to Cat’s manager, Hayley Drinkall.
Glover was born July 24, 1962, to Mildred and Doneall Glover, on Chicago’s West Side. She attended Esmond Elementary School and Morgan Park High School. She left home early in search of Prince, her mentor, with the goal of joining his touring team.
After appearing on Star Search on December 31, 1986, Cat, as she was called, starred with Prince in “Sign o’ the Times,” in 1987 and in the “Lovesexy Tour” in 1988 and on a number of songs, podcasts and interviews.
Remembering Glover is her niece, Asheena Burke.
“My greatest memories of my Auntie Cat span both my childhood and adulthood. As a little girl, I was in awe of her talent and her ability to light up the stage.
“She gifted me a heart mirror from the “Lovesexy Tour,” and I proudly wore it to school every day. I bragged about my beautiful Auntie and how she was on a world tour with Prince. She was always so vibrant and full of energy,” reflected Burke.
In 2006, Burke shared a photo shoot with Glover and an interview for Housequake she dubbed “a surreal experience.” Burke described her aunt as being “quick-witted” and said she always had a way of making her laugh. “Those moments reminded me not only of her brilliance but also of the deep bond we shared.”
Burke’s best memories of her aunt were the times when they sat on Glover’s California balcony in the mornings sipping French roast coffee and having intimate conversations that Burke says she “will forever cherish in my heart. She blessed me in so many ways.”
Condolences began to pour in from the UK after Glover’s death, including a message from her manager, Hayley Drinkall.
“There are special people who come into our lives. Cat was one of those people. We came from vastly different backgrounds but because we both knew Prince, we clicked. We became sisters.
“‘Sis,’ that’s what we called each other every time we spoke. I then became her manager but to us that part of things very much came second.
“Cat will always be remembered as being an integral part of Prince’s career during the “Sign O The Times” and “Lovesexy” eras. Going forward, now it is my duty to see that my role continues, as it always has, in making sure Cat always gets the recognition she rightly deserves. So, as you would say Sis, ‘Let’s kick rocks and keep it moving,’” Drinkall stated, echoing one of Cat’s favorite sayings.
Also reached in the UK was Prince’s photographer Steve Parke, who designed Glover’s Cat logo. Reflecting on how Cat impacted his life he said, “I entered a world I couldn’t have anticipated. It was 1988, and I was drafted to paint a video set for Prince.
“I left Baltimore for Paisley Park and threw myself into the work. My unbridled ADHD creativity wore me like a puppet and I spent my first 72 hours working straight, not stopping to sleep,” Parke confessed.
“Cat was kind enough to take me aside and talk to me about it. She explained that while what I brought to the table was important, I needed to learn how to contain it. Of course, my 25-year-old self-moped around for several days after that, feeling like everyone was judging me.
“But Cat came back to check on me, making sure I was OK. She just understood, as someone who was not the expected musician, that it was a bit harder to know how to fit in when not rehearsing. She helped me to understand that too. She was always very kind, loving really, to me, as someone who, like me, felt like a fish who finally found the very ocean they needed to be in, but also like one who was sometimes out of the water at the same time.
“During this time, I created her CAT logo which eventually got used on her single, “Catwoman,” and a leather jacket. I designed a couple more bits of art for leather jackets that I never ended up painting, but she loved the concepts (the sketches from my big spiral notebook from 1988). I’ll sure miss that big smile and big heart. I’m sure you’re somewhere else now where they’re shining bright,” said Parke.
“I grew up listening to Prince’s music and the importance of Cat’s collaborations with him at such a pivotal time in his career was not lost on me,” said 18-year-old guitar prodigy Ellis J. Barraclough from the UK who was mentored by Glover.
“When I found out that Cat had taken interest in my own music, I was blown away. So it was with great sadness that I learned of her passing, and that we will never get to complete the journey we planned. God bless you Cat,” Barraclough said in a statement to the Chicago Crusader.
Damon Dickson, a choreographer, and dancer who was in both Prince’s Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge, said, “Meeting Cat the first time, she was so energetic, an incredibly talented dancer and performer, with an amazing personality and humor. Rest well beautiful soul.”
In reflecting on Glover’s life, Durga McBroom, a singer, actress and dancer in the U.S. and the UK, said, “Cat Glover and I go back to the ‘80s. She was a force of nature, a hurricane with a heart of gold. No matter how many years went by, she always greeted me with open arms. And nobody could move like her. When she danced a dance, she was mesmerizing. You knew that she had DONE THAT and owned every shimmy. Cat was 100 pounds of love packed in a firecracker body.”
The causes of death for Cat were congestive heart failure and chronic Pulmonary Disease (COPD), confirmed her manager, Hayley Drinkall.
Glover is survived by a son, Tony, daughters, Angel and twins, Jessica and Amber.