Tyka Nelson, the Minneapolis-area singer-songwriter and Prince’s only full sibling, died at 64 in 2024. Her son, President Nelson, confirmed her death to the Associated Press. She had released four albums of her own, with two songs from her debut appearing on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
What happened to Tyka Nelson?
The Associated Press reported on November 5, 2024, that Nelson died at North Memorial Health in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. Her son, President Nelson, confirmed the death to the AP. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that she died Monday morning and had been dealing with heart issues, citing a family friend; that report did not establish an official cause of death.
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Her son said the family’s services would be private. As reported by the AP, he also shared the family’s request: “Services will be private, and in lieu of flowers, the family has asked that you take care of one another.”
Who was Tyka Nelson?
Nelson was a singer-songwriter from the Minneapolis–St. Paul area and the only full sibling of Prince. Their parents were jazz musician John L. Nelson and Mattie Della Shaw. Nelson spoke plainly about the family connection: “I’ve been Prince’s sister ever since I got here on Earth,” she told the Star Tribune, as quoted in the AP’s report.
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That connection is an important part of her story, but it does not define the extent of her musical work. The AP described her debut album, Royal Blue, as mostly adult-contemporary and easy-listening, distinct from Prince’s music and the sound often associated with Minneapolis.
What music did Tyka Nelson release?
Nelson released four albums between 1988 and 2011, according to the AP:
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- Royal Blue (1988)
- Yellow Moon, Red Sky (1992)
- A Brand New Me (2008)
- Hustler (2011)
Her best-known chart entries reported by the AP came from Royal Blue. The AP’s account of Billboard chart history says “Marc Anthony’s Tune” spent 11 weeks on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked at No. 33. “L.O.V.E.” spent seven weeks on the chart and peaked at No. 52.
What was planned before her death?
Nelson had been scheduled to perform a farewell concert at Minneapolis’s Dakota in June 2024, but illness kept her from appearing. Shortly before the planned show, she told the AP she had a mixtape on the way and was working on a memoir. Those were projects in progress; the reporting did not say either was completed or released.
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What happened to her interest in Prince’s estate?
The AP reported that Nelson and two of her half-siblings sold their interests in Prince’s estate to Primary Wave, which later assigned those interests to an affiliate. This is estate context, separate from Nelson’s recording career.
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