Tyka Nelson: Sister of music legend Prince dies aged 64 after dropping out of final show due to illness
Tkya Nelson, sister of music icon Prince, has died at the age of 64, her son has confirmed.
President Nelson confirmed his mother’s death to the Minnesota Star Tribune but did not disclose the cause of death. It comes only a few months after the singer dropped out of a farewell tour in June after taking ill.
Tyka, who was the only full sibling of the Purple Rain Singer, was a musician in her own right. She released four albums between 1988 and 2011, with her last public performance taking place in 2018 in Australia.
Her sister, Sharon Nelson, said: ”She had her own mind. She’s in a better place.”
Tyka, who was reportedly writing a memoir prior to her death, previously said: “I really wasn’t a singer. I’m a writer. I just happen to be able to sing. I enjoy singing.”
In June, Tyka opened up about the final conversation she had with her famous brother before his death in 2016. He passed away due to an accidental overdose on fentanyl.
Tyka told the Star Tribune that she spoke to Prince two days after he was forced to make an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois while traveling back to his home in Minnesota after becoming unresponsive and being hospitalised. She said: “A couple of times I said, ‘How are you really?’ He didn’t go into anything with me.
“That was bothering me, and he knew it was but that was all he wanted to tell me.”
She added that their final conversation came two days before his death, saying: “He kept avoiding questions. I kept getting mad. I felt like ‘talk to me for two seconds.’ He’d change the subject, make a joke and then we’d both laugh.
“He asked me could I find more information about our family. Prince wanted me to find Sharon’s number. I didn’t question it. It was like ‘send this picture to that person.’ OK. What for?”