29 would-be heirs to the Prince estate were excluded, and other previously unchallenged heirs will be forced to undergo genetic testing, a judge ruled last week. Simultaneously, an official tribute concert began taking shape.
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A Minnesota judge has excluded 29 would-be heirs from the estate of the late pop star Prince. The court order, issued on Thursday, came in response to a flood of individuals seeking a piece of the estate valued at more than $500 million, left by Prince when he died unexpectedly in April at the age of 57, without a will.
Claims have poured into the probate court since Prince’s younger sister, Tyka Nelson, filed a petition seeking appointment of a special administrator for the estate and naming herself and five half-siblings as the only known heirs.
In his 19-page order, Carver County Judge Kevin Eide appeared to accept those six claims, stating, “The court is not aware of any objection or dispute with the statement that these persons are the siblings or half-siblings” of Prince. Under the ruling, Tyka Nelson and three half-siblings by Prince’s father will undergo genetic testing.
No provision for genetic testing was made for two other half-brothers – Alfred Jackson and Omar Baker – who shared a common mother with the singer.
The judge dismissed claims of heirship from a total of 29 other people claiming to have some degree of kinship with Prince, including a professed secret wife who said the CIA had classified their marriage records as top secret.
Among other would-be heirs he denied were five people who came forward claiming Prince was their biological or adoptive father, and several others claiming their dad was also Prince’s genetic parent by way of an extramarital affair with his mother. Also dismissed were a batch of claims by several people who described themselves as descendants of a sister of Prince’s great-grandfather.
The musician, born as Prince Rogers Nelson, has long been identified in public records as the only surviving son from the marriage between Mattie Della Shaw and John L. Nelson, both of whom are now dead. And Judge Eide ruled there was no “credible, documented claim” of a surviving Prince spouse.
Prince left no will and no surviving offspring of his own, his estate under Minnesota law would be apportioned in equal shares to his siblings and the nearest surviving descendants of any siblings now dead. Siblings and half-siblings are treated the same.
The special administrator of the estate, Bremer Trust, has said it was in the process of determining the fair-market value of Prince’s estate.
Official Prince Tribute Concert Planned
After Prince’s death his family promised that he would be memorialized with a “musical celebration.” Now, they have announced an official tribute concert will take place on Oct. 13 at the U.S. Bank Stadium in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The performers have not been announced yet but tickets will go on sale next month, the Associated Press reports.
“We are excited for the opportunity to bring everyone together for the official family celebration of Prince’s life, music and legacy, and there is no better place to do it than his hometown of Minneapolis,” his family told the AP in a statement. “We are honored by the artists who will pay tribute and grateful to those that have worked so hard to make this celebration possible.”
Though many stars and collaborators have paid tribute to Prince since his death, this will be the first official celebratory concert. His former band the Revolution also announced this month that they would reunite at Minneapolis’ First Avenue club where the group played with the Purple One in the 1980s.
Prince died on April 21 of an opioid overdose at his home in Paisley Park, Minnesota. He was 57.