Prince's sister, Tyka Nelson, is looking back at her last conversation with her legendary brother, saying the musician kept on avoiding questions. This year, the singer is set to honor the icon and their father at her farewell performance.
Nelson recently spoke with the Star Tribune to reflect on her last phone call with her brother, saying the conversation happened four days before Prince passed away.
"He kept avoiding questions. I kept getting mad... I felt like, 'Talk to me for two seconds.' He'd change the subject, make a joke and then we'd both laugh," she said.
The singer recalled that Prince wanted her to "find more information about our family" during the call, and she didn't hesitate to help him.
Days later, she saw her brother for the last time when the "Purple Rain" singer was hospitalized after his private aircraft made an emergency landing.
At the time, protective instincts came out when a woman attempted to hug him.
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"The bodyguards came over and got her. Prince looked at me [like], 'What you gonna do?' So that made us smile," she recalled.
Although Nelson wasn't aware that her brother had any illnesses prior to his death, she noticed that he lost a little weight during their final interaction, and she recalled asking, "How are you really?" but he kept on dodging the question.
"That was bothering me, and he knew it was, but that was all he wanted to tell me," she said, adding that she didn't want to spoil too much as she would reveal more information about herself and her family in her memoir.
Tyka Nelson will perform at the Dakota in Minneapolis on June 7, 2024, in her farewell concert. It will also mark her first time performing in her hometown in over 15 years.
The world of music mourned the death of Prince in 2016; he was 57 years old. He reportedly died at his Paisley Park residence.
Initially, a cause of death was not publicized until it was revealed that he died accidentally due to "fentanyl toxicity" and that "the decedent self-administered fentanyl."
Nelson took the stage at the 2016 American Music Awards, where she paid tribute to her brother by giving an emotional speech.
"A Black teen from Minneapolis with a goal to electrify the world, he had the courage to be different. With his vision [and] God-given talent, he is still one of the world's most respected and loved artists," she said.
