Singer Tyka Nelson, Prince’s only sibling who shared the same parents, has died. She was 64.
According to The Minnesota Star Tribune, Nelson passed on Monday morning, and a cause of death has not been reported.
She released four albums between 1988 and 2011 and was set to have a goodbye concert in June 2023.
“I’m getting older,” she told the outlet before the concert. “I really wasn’t a singer. I’m a writer. I just happen to be able to sing. I enjoy singing.”
Nelson couldn’t perform due to illness, but the concert was still held.
Variety reported that Nelson was working on a memoir, and she often appeared at Prince-related events. Her last public performance was in 2018 in Australia.
Born two years after Prince on May 18, 1960, to John L. Nelson and Mattie Della Shaw, Tyka once told the Minnesota Star Tribune, “The funniest thing is people say, ‘How does it feel to be Prince’s sister?’ They don’t actually realize what they’re saying. I’ve been Prince’s sister ever since I got here on Earth,” per The Associated Press.
Nelson is survived by her sons, President and Sir, and five grandchildren.
In a statement, President Nelson said, “Born 1960, the daughter of Mattie and John Nelson, she was best known as Prince’s sister and worked to keep his legacy alive with his fans attending fan and industry events.” He continued, “Services will be private, and in lieu of flowers, the family has asked that you take care of one another,” the AP reported.
Following Prince’s 2016 death from an accidental fentanyl overdose and having no will, Tyka and his five half-siblings — Sharon Nelson, Norrine Nelson, John R. Nelson, Omarr Baker and Alfred Jackson — inherited equal interests in his estate. According to the AP, the three youngest, Tyka Nelson, Baker and Jackson, sold their shares. The news agency reported Jackson has since died.
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