The Minnesota judge presiding over Prince’s estate decided Friday that several people who had claimed to be heirs of the flamboyant artist were not related to the musician.
Advertisement
However, Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide allowed a possible niece and grandniece to continue to pursue their claims, saying they may submit to genetic testing to prove a blood relationship, as will Prince’s sister Tyka and three of Prince’s half-siblings.
That means that now at least 24 people who claimed to be a half-sibling through someone other than Prince’s father, or those claiming more distant family tree connections, are out.
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.
Prince was found dead at his home on April 21, 2016, in suburban Minneapolis. It also excludes people who claimed Prince’s father was someone other than the man identified in court records. The pair has claimed Briana Nelson’s father was Prince’s half-brother. Many have undergone DNA testing in an effort to provide a clearer picture as to who rightfully has a claim, and who doesn’t.
Tyka Nelson did not include Duane as a half sibling when she filed her original court paperwork naming Prince’s paternal half-siblings along with maternal half-brothers Alfred Jackson and Omarr Baker. The process of determining his heirs and parcelling out his estate has fallen to the courts because he had no known children and left no will.
The musician, who born as Prince Rogers Nelson, has always been identified in public records as the only son from Mattie Shaw’s marriage to John L. Nelson, who also fathered Prince’s younger sister, Tyka Nelson. The judge said he’s trying to balance protecting the privacy of the fast-paced entertainment business world and the private histories of Prince’s potential heirs while also serving the vast public interest in his life and legacy.
The judge said one applicant was a woman who based her claim on a “general description of the lifestyle of her biological parents”, her personal “fascination” with Prince and perceived physical similarities.
Advertisement
Among those claimants was Venita Jackson Leverette, whose attorney, James Selmer, called Eide’s decision “a travesty” and said he’s considering an appeal. The judge also blocked cameras from a June hearing.
