Maurice Phillips, the brother-in-law of Prince, talks with fans following a memorial service held inside the Paisley Park compound. (Getty)
Maurice Phillips is the husband of Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson.
Since the music legend’s death, Phillips, known as Reese, has acted at times as a spokesman for the family, and has met with the fans who gathered outside of Prince’s Paisley Park compound. He attended the memorial service for Prince with his wife and their children.
Here’s what you need to know about him:
1. Phillips’ Wife Tyka Nelson Is Likely to Inherit Prince’s Fortune
Tyka Nelson, Maurice Phillips’ husband and the lone sibling of Prince, could inherit Prince’s massive fortune. She is Prince’s only full sibling. He was not married, does not have children and his parents are deceased, so Tyka Nelson could be the main heir, according to Minnesota state law.
Tyka Nelson filed documents Tuesday in Minnesota probate court to appoint a special administrator, the Bremer Trust, for Prince’s estate.
The pop legend also has five adult half siblings.
You can read more about the probate documents at the link below:
2. Phillips Has Said He Is Trying to ‘Protect’ Prince After the Musician’s Shocking Death
Maurice Phillips, left, the brother-in-law of Prince, talks with fans following a memorial service held inside the Paisley Park compound of music legend Prince. (Getty)
Reese Phillips told KARE-TV, a Minnesota news station, that he has been trying to “protect” Prince in the days since the legend’s tragic and unexpected death.
He told the news station it “hurts” to see rumors about Prince, who was a “private man.”
Several news reports quoted Phillips as saying Prince hadn’t slept for days prior to his death, while working 154 hours straight, but on Tuesday, the singer’s brother-in-law told KARE that isn’t true. He said he was not in contact with Prince before his death.
Phillips has said Prince’s family is planning a massive public tribute to the singer.
3. Phillips & Nelson Have Been Married Since 2010
Maurice Phillips. (Facebook)
Maurice “Reese” Phillips, 52, and Tyka Nelson, 55, have been married since June 2010, according to her Facebook page.
They are both devout Christians, and several posts on Tyka’s Facebook page shows them attending church together in Minneapolis, where they live.
Phillips is originally from South Bend, Indiana.
4. Tyka Has Compared Her Family, Which Includes Her 2 Sons & Phillips’ 4 Children, to the Brady Bunch
(Getty)
Tyka Nelson and Maurice Phillips have six children. Tyka has two sons, Prez Nelson and Sir Nelson. Phillips has four children, Rachard, Danielle, Crystal and Chelsea.
All are young adults, Nelson said on her Facebook page.
“we have 6 kids (young adults) Sir (Greg) Prez (Peter) Chelsea (Marsha) Rachard (Bobby) Crystal (Jan) and the baby (Danielle (aka Cindy…The Black Brady Bunch!!,” she wrote.
5. Tyka Released a Song About Her Husband, ‘Ode to Reese,’ Last Fall
Tyka Nelson, like her brother, is a singer. She has released several albums and has lately been releasing her own music on Youtube. In her later life, she has recorded mainly gospel music.
In October, she posted a song that is a tribute to Phillips, called “Ode to Reese.”
You can listen to the song above.
