Carmen Electra has officially changed her name.
The 51-year-old actress, whose real name was Tara Leigh Patrick, adopted her stage name on the advice of the late singer Prince, and in January announced plans to officially adopt the stage name known to millions. I submitted the documents.
There were no objections to the proposed changes, and the Baywatch star's request was granted on Jan. 9, according to a decree obtained by Entertainment Tonight.
Carmen told how she first met the “Purple Rain” singer when she auditioned for a girl group he was forming. Although she wasn't selected, she said she was surprised to receive a phone call from Prince afterwards. Although the song was written by her, he urged her to change her name.
She told OWN: “Prince called me and said he thought I should be my own artist and not be someone else's backup. I'll write the song for you, and if you like it you can record it.”
“The name of the song was 'Carmen on Top.' My name is Tara, so I was confused. I loved the song. I loved it, but he said, 'You're not Tara.' You’re not Tara. You’re Carmen.”
The “Scary Movie” star happily relinquished “control” to his mentor.
she told E! News: “He controlled everything, and I loved that about him. His clothes, his music, his hair. He was a genius at it all.”
The two dated, but ultimately broke up in the early 1990s when Prince urged her to return to Minnesota and Carmen wanted to remain in Los Angeles.
She previously said, “I told him I wanted to live in Los Angeles, but he spent as much time here as he did in Minnesota. He wanted me to move back to Minnesota. So I said no. I broke up with him and stayed in Los Angeles.”
“I gave up everything with him to live here and build my career. It was a tough time. I ended up calling him and he said he'd hire me to dance at his club in Los Angeles. I was making $90 a week.”
“I wasn't his girlfriend anymore, but I was one of his girls. This was after we broke up.”