Musician Tyka Nelson, Younger Sister of Prince, Passes Away at 64

Source: Variety / Getty

Tyka Nelson, the younger sister of late music icon Prince and a musician in her own right, passed away Monday morning (Nov. 4) at the age of 64.

Her son, President Nelson, confirmed her death to Minnesota’s Star Tribune but provided no other details on her passing.

Born on May 18, 1960, to John L. Nelson and Mattie Shaw Nelson, Tyka was Prince’s only full sibling. Just like her big brother, she had a keen interest in music.

Tyka released four albums between 1988 and 2011, and she scored a minor hit on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart in July 1988 with “Marc Anthony’s Tune.”

Earlier this summer, Tyka announced her retirement from music, with a final concert set for June. However, she fell ill and the concert – for which she was set to host and perform – 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.”

At the time, Tyka said that she was working on a memoir.

Survivors include her husband, Maurice Phillips, six children, half-sisters Sharon and Norrine Nelson, and half-brother Omarr Baker.