Prince’s Sister, Tyka Nelson…What We Should Know About Her

Most had no idea Prince had a sister until she recently resurfaced after the untimely death of the mega superstar. He is survived by his 55-year-old younger sister, Tyka Nelson, who according to Global Grind at this point may or may not gain access to Prince’s estate. This depends on whether or not Prince even had a will. After her brother’s death, Tyka told devastated fans, “I know he loved you too.” According to People, this is what we should know so far:

1. Tyka is the most likely candidate to inherit Prince’s estate
Tyka is Prince’s only full biological sibling. The 7-time Grammy winner was preceded in death by both of his parents John L. Nelson and Mattie Shaw, who divorced in 1966 when Tyka was 6 and Prince was 8. With their parents deceased, Tyka is Prince’s closest living relative.

2. She is married and has six children
Tyka and husband, Maurice Phillips were seen on the grounds of Paisley Park on Saturday when family and friends gathered to say their farewells to Prince during a small private ceremony, reports the Chicago Tribune. Tyka is a mother of six to daughters, Danielle Phillips, Crystal Phillips, Chelsea Phillips, and sons Rachard Phillips, Sir Montece Laeil and President LenNard Laeil Nelson, who accompanied his mother at First Memorial Waterston chapel in Minnesota on Monday to carry the late singer’s ashes, according to People.

3. Like her brother, Tyka is also a musician
Like Prince and her jazz musician parents, Tyka has a love for music. According to a 2008 interview with City Pages, she began writing songs when she was 10 and “hasn’t collaborated” with her brother Prince since they were young. During her music career, Tyka released six albums with the most recent one in 2008, a gospel album titled A Brand New Me. The mother of two also plays 4 different instruments: piano, guitar, bass and clarinet.

4. She bounced back from prostitution and crack addiction
Tyka battled an addiction to crack cocaine and prostituted herself to support her children, according to the September 23, 2003, issue of The National Enquirer. “I was a single mother and my boys were babies. I sold my body for food, money and pampers. I pawned the car Prince had given me and sold the kids’ TV for drugs,” she said. In the early 2000s, Prince entered Tyka into a rehab program and in 2008 reignited her music career after getting sober.

5. Her sibling relationship was not always good
In her interview with City Pages, Tyka described her childhood in Minnesota. “I was the overweight kid who didn’t have a boyfriend. I listened to other people say, ‘You’re ugly, you’re fat, you’re stupid,’ and I believed it,” she said. “My brother, he just thought I was crazy.” The siblings had a strained relationship early in Prince’s career. “I love my brother. But I’m not a yo-yo. He can’t just keep spinning me in and out of his life,” she shared with The National Enquirer in 2003.