Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is a pop and R&B singer who began her career as the first black Miss America. She resigned early in her reign on July 23, 1984, however, when it was discovered that she had posed nude for photographs that were published in the magazine Penthouse. She managed to rise above that scandal and become a respected and popular singer with her 1988 debut album, and eventually actress, with appearances in films like Eraser, co-starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Her first marriage, in 1987, was to her then-manager Ramon Hervey, with whom she had three children. She divorced him in 1997, and was married to NBA basketball star Rick Fox two years later. On August 11, 2004, Rick Fox filed for a divorce from Vanessa, ending five years of marriage, according to his publicist, coming just one week after he was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers. The couple, who have a four-year-old daughter called Sasha, agreed previously to keep their property assets separate, according to court papers. The two were wed at a high-profile ceremony in 1999, but have reportedly been separated for some time, with Williams living in New York while Fox played in Los Angeles.

There is also an actress Vanessa Williams (actress) who played the character of Rhonda Blaid in Melrose Place but she is a different person.