Prince, whose real name was Prince Rogers Nelson, died on April 21, 2016 at the age of 57. It was reported that he died at his Paisley Park recording studios in his home in Chanhassen, Minnesota. It was confirmed that he died from an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl. Even though the musician was married twice, he was not married at the time of his death. He had no children, and he left no will. More than a year after his death, a judge has ruled that Prince's sister and five half-Siblings are the legal heirs to his estate that is estimated to be about $200 million -- including property and the rights to music, published and unpublished.
Claims to the estate
Over the last year, more than 45 people have claimed a portion of Prince's fortune. They claimed to have been Prince's wives, children, siblings or other relatives. A man in prison claimed to be Prince's son, but it was proven not to be true. A couple of months after the superstar's death, a judge rejected 29 claims based on DNA testing. Neither one of the two ex-wives came forward with claims. Prince was married to Mayte Garcia from 1996 to 1999 and to Manuela Testolini from 2001 to 2006. Prince and Garcia had a baby boy, but he died after one week due to Pfeiffer syndrome, a rare congenital defect.
District judge Kevin Eide said that all those who were denied a claim must be given time to appeal the ruling.
Therefore, the siblings must wait one year before they can receive anything. The siblings agree that prolonging the distribution of the estate after the ruling would not be beneficial. Lawyers for the siblings say further delays would increase costs to the estate and hinder effective administration.
Even though the siblings have to wait, they are much closer to a decision than they were a year ago.
They know how the estate will be divided if no one else comes forward and is proven to be a close relative.
The siblings
The only sibling who shared Prince's father and mother is his younger sister, Tyka Nelson -- who is also a musician like her late brother and father. The five-half siblings include two half-sisters (Sharon Nelson and Norrine Nelson), and three half-brothers named John Nelson, Alfred Jackson, and Omarr Baker.
The Nelson siblings shared the same father as Prince and Tyka, but not their mother. They are from the father's previous marriage. Jackson was born to Prince's mother before she married Prince's father. Baker was born to Prince's mother after she divorced his father.
