En esta noticia
When Prince died at his Paisley Park home in Chanhassen, Minnesota, in April 2016, he left behind one of the most important music legacies in the world. But he didn’t leave a will, and that decision started a legal battle that lasted more than six years.
Prince was 57 and had no spouse, no living children, and no will. Under Minnesota law, his fortune went to his six half-siblings: Sharon, Norrine, John R. and Tyka Nelson, Omarr Baker, and Alfred Jackson.
Six half-siblings became his heirs
Just identifying the heirs took a year. Some people even showed up at the courthouse “asking for the keys to Paisley Park,” according to Joe Cassioppi, a lawyer for Comerica Bank, which managed the estate.
“There has never been a probate case in Minnesota as complicated as this one,” he told the Star Tribune.
How much was Prince’s estate worth?
The first major dispute was over the value of the estate. The bank initially estimated it at $82.3 million, while the IRS valued it at $163.2 million.
In January 2022, after years of negotiations, all sides agreed on $156.4 million.
The figure mattered because it determined how much the estate owed in state taxes. After payments, about $104.8 million was left to distribute, according to court documents.
The fight between heirs over Prince’s estate
The court battle ended up costing tens of millions of dollars in legal and administrative fees.
Also, while the case dragged on, two of the heirs, John R. Nelson and Alfred Jackson, died.
Their lawyer later urged lawmakers to reform probate laws so elderly heirs would not have to wait so long.
Who ended up with Prince’s fortune?
In July 2022, a judge approved the final agreement. The estate was split 50-50 between two groups:
- Primary Wave, a New York music company that had bought most of the shares of three siblings: Tyka Nelson, Omarr Baker, and Alfred Jackson.
- The other three siblings (Sharon, Norrine, and John R. Nelson) or their families, along with their advisers.
Both sides now share control of Prince’s music rights and businesses, including Paisley Park.
“Prince can now rest in peace,” his half-sister Sharon Nelson said after the final hearing. Leaving the courthouse, she added: “Free at last.”