Tyka Nelson, Prince’s only full sibling, has died aged 64, her son said.
The Minneapolis musician died on Monday at North Memorial Health in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, President Nelson confirmed to The Associated Press.
A cause of death was not immediately available, and President Nelson said he does not expect to know “for a couple of days”.
Born to jazz musician John L Nelson and Mattie Della Shaw in 1960, two years after Prince, Nelson was a singer-songwriter, releasing four albums across her career, starting with 1988’s Royal Blue.
That album produced her biggest hits, Marc Anthony’s Tune, which spent 11 weeks on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at number 33, and L.O.V.E., which spent seven weeks on the chart and topped at number 52.
At the time, she told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis: “The album is basically about love relationships between a man and a woman. I’m royal blue because I can’t find him.”
It is an alternative to her brother’s chosen colour of purple.
Of their relationship, she said: “The funniest thing is people say, ‘How does it feel to be Prince’s sister?’ They don’t actually realize what they’re saying. I’ve been Prince’s sister ever since I got here on Earth.”
The Associated Press described her Royal Blue album as “mostly adult-contemporary or easy-listening” material, “far removed from Prince and the so-called Minneapolis sound. Hers is a mature, romantic sound aimed at 25- to 45-year-olds”.
Then came 1992’s Yellow Moon, Red Sky, 2008’s A Brand New Me, and finally, 2011’s Hustler.
Nelson is survived by two sons, President and Sir, and five grandchildren.
“Born 1960, the daughter of Mattie and John Nelson, she was best known as Prince’s sister and worked to keep his legacy alive with his fans attending fan and industry events,” President Nelson shared in a statement.
“Services will be private, and in lieu of flowers, the family has asked that you take care of one another.”
According to the Star Tribune, Nelson was scheduled to retire and perform a farewell concert at the Dakota in Minneapolis in June.
Illness caused her not to take the stage.
A few days before the concert, she said she had a mixtape on the way and was working on a memoir.
Prince died of an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2016 at his home in Minneapolis.
He was 57.
He had no will, and his six siblings inherited equal interests in the estate: Tyka Nelson and five half-siblings – Sharon Nelson, Norrine Nelson, John R Nelson, Omarr Baker and Alfred Jackson.
Tyka Nelson, Baker and Jackson, the three youngest, sold their stake to a music publishing company called Primary Wave Music, LLC, which later assigned its interests to an affiliate, Prince OAT Holdings LLC.
Jackson has since died.
Representatives for Paisley Park, Prince’s private estate which is also a museum, studio, and concert venue in Chanhassen, Minnesota, did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’s request for comment.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here