Prince’s sister Tyka Nelson dies at 64

Tyka Nelson, a Minneapolis singer and Prince’s sister, passed away Monday morning.

Her son, President Nelson, confirmed the death but declined to offer details. Tyka was 64.

The daughter of John L. Nelson and Mattie Shaw Nelson, Tyka Nelson was Prince’s only full sibling. Like her famous brother, she had an interest in music.

Nelson released four albums between 1988 and 2011 and was supposed to have her retirement and farewell concert in June at the Dakota. However, she took ill and the concert — in which she was set to be the emcee and sing a couple of songs — went on without her.

“I’m getting older,” Nelson told the Minnesota Star Tribune before her June show. “I really wasn’t a singer. I’m a writer. I just happen to be able to sing. I enjoy singing.”

She said she was writing a memoir.

Nelson last performed in the Twin Cities in 2008 at Bunkers. Her last public performance was in Australia in 2018.

Twin Cities musician Paul Peterson worked with Nelson on the 2018 tour.

“The girl could sing, no question about it,” he said Tuesday. “She didn’t get to do it often, so it was a little intimidating for her. She had a soulful and sweet voice. She was playful and cute, interested in doing things for herself and for keeping Prince’s legacy alive.”

Peterson was the music director for Nelson’s scheduled June concert at the Dakota but they communicated by phone, never meeting in person. However, he received a text from her in August, saying, “I can dance again.”

Sharon Nelson, who lived on the East Coast for 50 years, did not get to know her sister Tyka until after Prince died in 2016 and Sharon moved back to the Twin Cities.

“She had her own mind,” Sharon said Monday night. “She’s in a better place.”

Tyka Nelson’s survivors include her sons President and Sir, sisters Sharon and Norrine Nelson, and brother Omarr Baker.