Singer Prince’s Sister Tyka Nelson’s Cause of Death Revealed

Singer Prince’s sister Tyka Nelson’s primary and secondary cause of death has been revealed!

The late singer’s sister reportedly suffered a prolonged cardiac arrest episode before finally succumbing to the cold hands of death.

Tyka Nelson died on November 4 in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area after she had invited paramedics to her home at least six times since September.

The document from the office states that the star suffered congestive heart failure when she died. However, authorities also noted that her heart had been weakened by substance abuse.

Following this discovery, the Department of Health listed cardiac arrest as the primary cause of death and congestive heart failure as the secondary cause of his passing.

The certificate noted that the cardiac arrest occurred 45 minutes before she was pronounced dead. She also reportedly battled non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, which is a common term for abnormal heart function, for over 4 months.

Tyka’s heart problems have lasted for several years, and a “substance use disorder” indicated in the death certificate, according to TMZ, may have compounded her issues.

As reported by The Blast, records from emergency logs showed that Tyka called EMTs to her home starting in September this year. While her name reportedly did not appear on every call record, some panic calls were made on her behalf, as recent as November 1.

She was stuck with a series of life-threatening health and heart diseases, including bleeding in her GI tract and pain from an infection. The mom-of-six was rushed from her home in Minneapolis to the North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, on September 14.

Tyka’s call for medical help reportedly increased in frequency as she drew closer to breathing her last, which corroborated reports of her vulnerable state of health.

Tyka’s health issues also had a direct impact on her career, forcing her to cancel a concert organized in honor of her retirement in June. She reportedly had no choice but to scrap the concert billed in Dakota, where she planned to host and perform for the audience after her health failed her.

“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 stated before deciding to cancel the show. Tyka had an extended career in the music industry, releasing four albums between 1988 and 2011. 

The celebrity’s final performance was in 2008 in the Twin Cities at Bunkers, while she last performed publicly in 2018 in Australia.

The late singer’s half-sister, Sharon Nelson, praised her for being an independent person who had her own mind and disclosed that they did not share a close sibling relationship till their brother died in 2016.

Sharon reportedly resided on the East Coast for 50 years and did not get to know her late half-sister until she moved back to the Twin Cities.

Tyka’s relationship with Prince was also affected from childhood until early in his flourishing career as a global popstar. She recalled growing up together with Prince in an interview in 2003, sharing: 

“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. My brother, he just thought I was crazy.”

The performer explained that she loved the “Purple Rain” singer but protected herself by not letting him spin her “in and out of his life” then.

The late singer lived a tough life filled with various experiences, including addiction to crack and selling her body for money to look after her children in the 2003 interview. 

The “Rock or Roll” singer is a proud mom to six children, including her son, President Nelson, who announced her tragic passing.

“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,” stated the late singer.

Tyka shared that her late brother suspended their bitter relationship for a moment aside to rescue her by getting her into a rehab program and helping her return to music in 2008 when she became sober.

The late Nelson siblings were from the marriage between John L. Nelson and Mattie Shaw. John had already fathered five kids from a previous relationship before tying the knot with their mother.

Tyka Nelson was reportedly cremated and is survived by her two sons and five grandchildren.