Prince’s sister Tyka Nelson’s cause of death has been confirmed.
Tyka, who died at 64 on November 4, succumbed to cardiac arrest, according to TMZ, citing a Minnesota Department of Health death certificate. The secondary cause of death was congestive heart failure, reports the outlet.
According to TMZ, authorities ruled that Tyka’s heart was also weakened by substance abuse. The musician suffered cardiac arrest around 45 minutes before she was pronounced dead.
Tyka also suffered from nonischemic cardiomyopathy, which is the term used to describe a range of conditions that cause abnormal heart function, before her death, per TMZ.
Tyka Nelson, accepts the award for Favorite Soundtrack, for Purple Rain, on behalf of Prince onstage during the 2016 American Music Awards held at Microsoft Theater on November 20, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. Michael Tran/FilmMagic
Tyka’s son, President Nelson, shared news of his mother’s death with the Minnesota Star Tribune on November 5, but did not provide further details.
“She had her own mind. She’s in a better place,” her half-sister, Sharon Nelson, told the outlet.
Like Prince and her parents, jazz singer Mattie Della Shaw Baker and musician John L. Nelson, Tyka was an accomplished musician who recorded and released four studio albums between 1988 and 2011.
According to the Star Tribune, Tyka was due to retire from music in June with one final concert set to take place in Minneapolis. However, she fell ill and didn’t make it.
“I’m getting older. I really wasn’t a singer. I’m a writer. I just happen to be able to sing. I enjoy singing,” she told the outlet ahead of the concert.
Prince performing on stage. Richard E. Aaron/Redferns
Prince was found dead in an elevator at his Paisley Park compound in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on April 21, 2016. He was 57. His cause of death was ruled an accidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl.
The star’s sister told the Star Tribune in June that she last spoke to him four days before his death.
“He kept avoiding questions. I kept getting mad,” Tyka said. “I felt like, ‘Talk to me for two seconds.’ He’d change the subject, make a joke and then we’d both laugh. He asked me could I find more information about our family. Prince wanted me to find [half-sister] Sharon’s number. I didn’t question it. It was like, ‘Send this picture to that person.’ OK. What for?”
Tyka and Prince also had five half-siblings: Sharon, Norrine and John Nelson (who died in 2021), Alfred Jackson (who died in 2019) and Omarr Baker.
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