Pop star Prince gave her the stage name, the legendary red “Baywatch” swimsuit made her a sex symbol of the nineties. Carmen Electra is now celebrating her 50th birthday. What is she doing today?
It was none other than Prince who paved the way for Ohio State’s Tara Leigh Patrick to a world career. At just 18, she applied for a girl group, which the singer cast in the early 1990s. Although she wasn’t chosen, Prince saw something special in her and signed her to his label, Paisley Park Records.
He wrote her the song “Carmen on Top” and explained: “You’re not a Tara, you’re a Carmen,” the American once recalled in an interview about her time with the pop star. Thus the fictional character Carmen Electra was born. However, since she was not successful as a musician, she tried her luck as a dancer and model and in 1996 she dropped the covers for “Playboy” for the first time. Numerous other covers were to follow.
Successor to Pamela Anderson on “Baywatch”
A year after her debut for the men’s magazine, which made her famous, Carmen Electra succeeded Pamela Anderson on the hit series Baywatch. The legendary red bathing suit gave her an international breakthrough and made her the sex symbol of the 1990s.
For two years she played the role of Lani McKenzie alongside David Hasselhoff. However, a great acting career did not materialize after that. Although Carmen Electra could still be seen in films such as “Scary Movie” or “Starsky & Hutch” in the following years, she no longer played any major roles. Most recently, she was in front of the camera for an episode of the series “Jane the Virgin” in 2016.
Flash marriage to Dennis Rodman
Carmen Electra made headlines with her private life. In November 1998 she married basketball star Dennis Rodman in Las Vegas – five months later the marriage was history again. The Playmate then went on to have a brief fling with Pamela Anderson’s ex, Tommy Lee. In November 2003 she married the musician Dave Navarro, the marriage was divorced in February 2007.
After that, Carmen Electra had little luck in love, even taking part in the celebrity dating format “The Celebrity Dating Game” on US television last year.
The “Baywatch” star has now celebrated his 50th birthday and is still a sought-after model and a welcome guest on TV shows and at events. In addition, Carmen Electra is a successful influencer with more than a million Instagram followers and most recently launched her own skin care line.