Tyka Nelson, the Minneapolis-based singer and sister of the late superstar Prince, died Monday.
Her death was announced to the Minnesota Star Tribune by her son President Nelson.
Born Tyka Evene Nelson on May 18, 1960, in Minneapolis to pianist John L. Nelson and jazz singer Mattie Shaw Nelson, Tyka Nelson was the only full sibling of the Purple Rain singer born Prince Rogers Nelson.
Tyka Nelson recorded four albums between 1988 and 2011.
In addition to son President Nelson, Tyka Nelson’s survivors include son Sir, sisters Sharon and Norrine Nelson, and brother Omarr Baker.
Prince’s sister, singer Tyka Nelson, who lived in Minneapolis, passed away on Monday. Her age was 64.
President Nelson, her son, informed the Minnesota Star Tribune of her passing. She had been in declining health for a while, but no reason was given. Although she was reportedly working on a memoir at the time of her death, she had already retired from music.
Born in Minneapolis on May 18, 1960, Tyka Evene Nelson was the daughter of pianist John L. Tyka Nelson, the only full-sibling of Prince Rogers Nelson, the singer of Purple Rain, and jazz musician Mattie Shaw Nelson.
In 1988–2011, Tyka Nelson released four albums. She has given sporadic performances in recent years, such as in 2008 at the Minneapolis club Bunkers and in Australia ten years later. Last June, she was supposed to perform at a farewell show at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis, but she was too sick to go; instead, the event was held in her honor.
After years of legal wrangling, Tyka and five of Prince’s half-siblings were determined to be the legitimate heirs to the sizeable Prince estate (he passed away in 2016 at the age of 57). A group representing some of the half-siblings and another group associated with Primary Wave publishing distributed the estate’s holdings, which were worth over $150 million, two years ago. Tyka Nelson’s interests had been acquired by Primary Wave a few years prior.
Tyka Nelson’s surviving family members include her brother Omarr Baker, sisters Sharon and Norrine Nelson, and son Sir.
