Mayte Garcia

Lore & Background

Garcia was born on November 12, 1973, at Fort Rucker, Alabama, an army base. Her father is of Puerto Rican descent and her mother is of Cuban descent. Her father John was a United States military pilot, and her mother Janelle (also known as Nelly) was a dancer. She began belly dancing at age three. On May 12, 1981, at 7 years old, she appeared on the American television program That's Incredible! as the world's youngest professional belly dancer. As a teenager, she became a prima ballerina with the Wiesbaden Ballet. She graduated from General H.H. Arnold High School in Wiesbaden, Germany. Garcia came to Prince's attention in 1990 when her mother submitted a video cassette of her performance. Prince met her within minutes after viewing the video while on tour in Germany. When she was 16, Prince became her legal guardian, before she graduated high school. Their sexual relationship began when she was 18. After a four-year courtship, they married on February 14, 1996. Their only child, Amiir, was born with Pfeiffer syndrome type 2 on October 16, 1996, and died six days after his birth. In November 1996, the couple appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, where they pretended their son was still alive. After a subsequent miscarriage, their marriage deteriorated and they divorced in 2000. Garcia dated choreographer Wade Robson from 2000 until 2001. She dated drummer Tommy Lee for two years; he proposed in 2002 and they ended their engagement in 2003. In August 2022 she met pianist Niels Lan Doky, and after a year of dating, they plan to marry in October 2025. Garcia lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her daughter Gia, whom she adopted in 2013. She has multiple sclerosis, with symptoms beginning in 2010.

In Their Own Story

The stage lights at the Palace were still warm amber when the set ended. Mayte stood at the edge of the riser, breath fogging in the cold Minnesota air that seeped under the stage doors. Around her, the TPG was already shedding costumes, laughing, arguing about the next number. She peeled off her boots one at a time, wincing at the tape still wrapped around her ankles. Prince was already backstage, headphones on, muttering into a tape machine. She watched him for a long moment—the way his shoulders hunched, the way he never quite let the music stop even when the audience had. Then she pulled on her jacket, grabbed her bag, and walked out into the parking lot where the tour bus idled with its engine ticking. The city lights smeared across the windshield in long purple streaks. She didn't look back at the building. She didn't need to. The music was already in her bones, and it would be for years.

Reader's Guide

Garcia was hired as a dancer during Prince's Diamonds and Pearls Tour in 1992. She became the focus of his next album, Love Symbol (1992), assuming the guise of an Egyptian princess. She was a member of the New Power Generation from 1992 to 1996 as a dancer. Afterwards, she remained an associate, dancing occasionally during Prince's tours in 1998 and 1999. In 1995, Prince produced her album Child of the Sun for European release on his NPG Records label, with one single released overseas, 'If I Love U 2 Nite'. In 1997, she was artistic director of the New Power Generation Dance Company on their Around the World in a Day tour. She directed the music video for 'The One' for Prince, as well as videos for Chaka Khan and Graham Central Station. She choreographed belly dancing routines for Britney Spears' 'I'm a Slave 4 U' music video and Spears' performance at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. Film appearances include Dus (2005) as a dancer, Firehouse Dog (2007), and El Vacilon (2005) as a flight attendant. She guest starred on television series including 2 Broke Girls, Psych, The Closer, Las Vegas, Nip/Tuck, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. She appeared twice as a reporter on ABC's Big Shots (2007) and had a recurring role on Lifetime's Army Wives (2008–2009) as Jennifer Connor. She starred on Sí TV's Across the Hall with Eric Cubiche (2004–05). In 2009, she was a judge on the first season of Oxygen's Dance Your Ass Off. In 2012, she appeared as a principal cast member on VH1's Hollywood Exes. In 2017, she released a book titled The Most Beautiful: My Life with Prince.

Did You Know?

• Garcia appeared on That's Incredible! at age 7 as the world's youngest professional belly dancer.
• Prince became her legal guardian when she was 16, before she graduated high school.
• Her only child, Amiir, died six days after birth due to Pfeiffer syndrome type 2.
• She has multiple sclerosis, diagnosed after symptoms began in 2010.