Who is Yetunde Price? The story of Venus and Serena Williams' oldest sister who was tragically shot dead

Former World No. 1 doubles pair Serena Williams and Venus Williams are two of the greatest figures in the tennis world and are widely known for their achievements across the globe. Venus Williams, the elder of the two, has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, while her sister has won 23 -- the most won by any player, male or female, in the Open Era.

Together, the duo have 14 doubles Major titles, winning every single Major final they competed together in. The sisters also have a doubles Olympic gold medal and individual singles gold medals to their name, making them two of the most successful tennis players of all-time.

While the two sisters are steeped in such rich history, their late half-sister Yetunde Price, who was tragically shot dead during a young age, is lesser known to the outside world. Here is everything you need to know about her:

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Who is Venus and Serena Williams' older sister?

Yetunde Hawanya Tara Price was the oldest half-sister of Serena and Venus Williams. Price served as a personal assistant for the Williams sisters for some time. She is the oldest of Oracene Price's five daughters but unlike the Williams sisters, Richard Williams was not her father. She was a half-sibling from a previous marriage between Oracene and Yusef Rasheed.

Price frequently joined her sisters at their tournaments, including the 1997 US Open and Wimbledon. She worked part-time as a nurse and also owned a hair salon back in 2003. Furthermore, she was the mother of three children.

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What happened to Yetunde Price?

Unfortunately, Yetunde Price was murdered in a shooting in 2003 in Compton, California.

On the night of September 14, Yetunde Price was spending time with her boyfriend in her SUV parked outside a crackhouse in the suburbs of Crompton. As per reports, two men guarding the house opened fire on the SUV in the belief that they were miscreants who were trying to affect their business.

Price's boyfriend escaped the gunshots and drove Price to a relative's home and called the emergency services upon reaching there. She was taken to the hospital later on and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving there, as she endured a major bullet wound to the head.

Serena Williams, in a web series called DiversiTea featuring youth activist Naomi Wadler, opened up about her sister's death by shooting and how the epidemic of gun violence has affected black women over the years.

"I was affected personally by gun violence. My sister, unfortunately, passed from that. People are really talking about it now because it's happening more widespread...it's been affecting our community for years," Serena Williams expressed during her talk with Naomi.

The former World No.1 was filled with immense emotion as she conveyed her feelings on the struggle to cope up with the loss.

"I went through depression. I never even talked about it to my mom. No one knew I was in therapy, but I was. I was so close to my sister," Serena Williams asserted.

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How many siblings do Venus and Serena Williams have?

Venus and Serena Williams have three half-siblings on their mother's side: Lyndrea, Isha Price, and the late Yetunde. Lyndrea Price currently works as an apparel designer for Venus' clothing brand, Eleven. Isha Price, meanwhile, is an American lawyer and film producer.

On their father's side, the pair have about nine half-siblings, namely Sabrina, Richard III, Ronner, Reluss, Reneeka, Betty Johnson, Dylan, Lakeisha Juanita Graham, and Chavoita LeSane.