MINNEAPOLIS — The woman considered the only full sibling of Prince has died, according to family and multiple media reports.
Tyka Nelson was a music writer and performer who died at the age of 64. Her son President Nelson told the Star Tribune his mother passed Monday morning but did not share details. Tyka Nelson's cousin Charles "Chazz" Smith paid tribute to her in a Facebook post.
"Our family is very saddened to share the news of my cousin Tyka Evene Nelson who passed away this morning," he wrote.
Tyka and Minneapolis music legend Prince Rogers Nelson were the only children from the marriage of John L. Nelson and Mattie Della Shaw Baker. The two had five half-siblings who all became involved to some extent in a legal battle that followed Prince's death. In May 2017, Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide ruled that Nelson and her half-siblings would split the assets Prince left behind when he died of an accidental opioid overdose.
Tyka Nelson would become heavily involved in maintaining Prince's legacy, helping to move his recording studio and late-night concert venue Paisley Park from a private space to a museum dedicated to her brother's life and artistry.
Tyka Nelson’s survivors include her sons President and Sir, sisters Sharon and Norrine Nelson, and brother Omarr Baker, according to the Star Tribune.
