Prince’s Sister Tyka Nelson Dead at 64

Tyka Nelson, Minneapolis singer-songwriter and sister of Prince, has died. She was 64 years old.

President Nelson, Tyka’s son, confirmed the news of his mother’s death to The Minnesota Star Tribune. He declined to offer further details, other than the date of her passing: Monday (Nov. 4).

The daughter of John L. Nelson and Mattie Shaw Nelson, Tyka was the “Purple Rain” singer’s only full sibling. The pair also shared five half-siblings: Sharon Nelson, Norrine Nelson, John R. Nelson, Omarr Baker and Alfred Jackson.

Like her famous brother, Tyka was also a musician. She released four albums from 1988 to 2011, according to the Star Tribune, and she was supposed to have her retirement and farewell concert in June in her home city. Leading up to the show, however, she got sick and dropped out of the performance, telling the publication, “I’m getting older … I really wasn’t a singer. I’m a writer. I just happen to be able to sing. I enjoy singing.”

She also said at the time that she was writing a memoir.

Since Prince died from an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2016, Tyka and her half-siblings had been engaged in a yearslong legal disagreement over the handling of the seven-time Grammy winner’s estate. In July, a Delaware judge ruled against Sharon, Norrine and John’s wishes for advisors L. Londell McMillan and Charles Spicer Jr. to be removed as managers of Prince Legacy LLC, which was created to operate half of Prince’s estate. The three siblings had initially appointed McMillan and Spicer Jr. to their positions and gave each of them a 10% interest in the company, but Sharon later regretted the decision, sparking the lawsuit.

Tyka, Omarr and Alfred, on the other hand, sold their inherited shares of Prince’s estate to Primary Wave. Prince Legacy LLC and Primary Wave split the responsibility of managing the late superstar’s affairs and keeping his legacy alive, something that was paramount to Tyka in her life.

“I’d like for my brother to be remembered as the consummate artist that he is,” she said in a 2018 interview with Studio 10. “He was also a clothes designer and — not only a musician and a singer — but an entertainer and an actor. You’re gonna see a lot more footage of him and hear a lot of his music. I want you to see everything that he kept for you because his life was for you.”