Prince’s Supposed Heirs Fight Over His Estate

“When Doves Cry,” “1999,” “Little Red Corvette,” “Purple Rain” – Prince Rogers Nelson had a number of hit songs. Throughout his career as a singer, songwriter, record producer and actor, Prince amassed $300 million dollars.

It was a shock when Prince passed away suddenly on April 21, 2016 at the age of 57. The cause? An accidental overdose of opioid fentanyl. Fentanyl is prescribed by doctors for cancer treatment, but it can be made illicitly and is blamed for a spike in overdose deaths in the United States. It’s 25 to 50 times more potent than heroin and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Prince had no known living children at the time of his death.

Now, Prince’s $300 million dollar estate is being sought after by his six siblings and numerous others who claim to be his secret love children, his nieces and nephews, and even secret siblings. A Minnesota judge overseeing Prince’s estate narrowed down the wide pool of potential heirs ruling out nearly 30 claimants. The judge also ordered genetic testing for six purported family members.

What could Prince have done to avoid all this fighting over his estate?

What is Estate Planning?

Prince should have created an estate plan, and so should you.

You may not think that you need an estate plan, but if you own anything, including your car, home, other real estate, checking and saving accounts, investments, life insurance, and personal possessions, an estate plan is wise.

You probably have an idea of how you want to distribute your possessions after you pass away. An estate plan helps ensure your wishes are met by specifically naming whom you want to receive things you own after you die. An estate plan can either be in the form of a will or a living trust. A will provides instructions on how to distribute your belongings after you die.

However, any assets titled in your name or named in your will must go through your state’s probate process before they can be distributed to your heirs. In layman’s terms, probate is a legal process the court takes to conclude all your legal and financial matters after your death. It can be a long and arduous process, especially for heirs who are waiting to move on from the death of their loved one.

Because wills still need to go through probate, a living trust is preferred by most families and professionals. Unlike a will, the trust doesn’t die with you. Instead, any assets in your trust can remain in trust until your beneficiaries reach the age you want them to inherit. For example, if you die when your child is only five but you don’t want your child to be able to access your assets until your child is twenty-five, a trust can ensure that your child will have to wait another twenty years.

A trust is more expensive upfront than a will, but because a trust avoids court interference (ie. probate), most people prefer paying more for a trust than a will.

What Happens if You Don’t Have an Estate Plan?

Each state has its own laws, but a person who dies without a will or trust will have his or her estate distributed and determined by the state’s probate court.

Prince passed away in his home state of Minnesota. If you pass away in Minnesota without a will or trust, your property is distributed through probate via intestate succession. In Minnesota, your spouse receives the entirety of your estate after debts and taxes, unless the person who passed away (known as the decedent) has children who are not also the children of the spouse.

In that case, the spouse receives the first $150,000, and the balance is divided among the children. If the decedent has no spouse and no children, the closest living relative (such as the sibling) will receive the estate. This is why Prince suddenly has a number of people claiming to be his relatives, most of whom he probably never met during his lifetime.

Let Prince’s ordeal be a cautionary tale of what could happen if you don’t have an estate plan.