Tyka Nelson, the younger sister of music legend Prince, passed away on Monday, Nov. 4. She was 64 years old.
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Born on May 18, 1960, Tyka Nelson was the daughter of John L. Nelson and Mattie Shaw Nelson. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Nelson is Prince’s only full sibling and, much like her brother, she was a musician. She previously released four albums between 1988 and 2011.
Just a few months before her passing, Tyka Nelson was supposed to have her retirement and farewell concert at the Dakota in Minneapolis. However, she fell ill and the event continued without her.
Before the big event, she told the Minnesota Star Tribune, “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 told the media outlet that she was in the process of writing a memoir. “We are not there yet. We’ve got a few more chapters,” said Nelson, who doesn’t have a publisher. “It’s about me and my family.”
Speaking about her performance, Tyka stated she was going to honor her brother and father. “People don’t want to hear my junk,” she declared.
Nelson then added she had a mixtape in the works as well.
Tyka Nelson is survived by her six children and seven half-siblings.
Speaking about Tyka’s passing, one of the singer’s half-sisters, Sharon Nelson, stated, “She had her own mind. She’s in a better place.”
Tyka Nelson Previously Opened Up About the Final Conversation She Had With Her Brother Prince
Meanwhile, Tyka Nelson spoke to the Minnesota Star Tribune about the final conversations he had with her brother, Prince.
“He kept avoiding questions. I kept getting mad,” Tyka recalled. “I felt like, ‘Talk to me for two seconds.’ He’d change the subject, make a joke, and then we’d both laugh.”
Prince, whose full name is Prince Rogers Nelson, also asked Tyka if she could “find more information” about their family. “Prince wanted me to find [our sister] Sharon’s number,” Tyka pointed out. “I didn’t question it. It was like, ‘Send this picture to that person.’ OK. What for?”
Nelson then recalled when she last saw her brother, which was after his private plane made an emergency landing. “There was a lady who wanted to hug him and the protector in me stood up — the lady was taller than me,” the songwriter remembered. “The bodyguards came over and got her. Prince looked at me [like], ‘What you gonna do?’ So that made us smile.”