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Prince: Judge Orders DNA Test On Late Singer’s Blood In Case Of Parentage Claims

Published on: May 8, 2016 at 5:22 PM ET
Pam Wright
Written By Pam Wright
News Writer

As Prince continues to be mourned and remembered following his death on April 21, a Minnesota judge has ordered a sample of the late singer’s blood tested in the event someone comes forward claiming to be the long lost child of the Purple Rain singer.

According to NBC News , Carver County District Court Judge Kevin Eide ruled in favor of a request by Bremer Trust Friday to obtain blood being kept by Midwest Medical Examiner so it can be genetically tested. The judge agreed because “parentage issues might arise.”

Prince, whose full name was Prince Rogers Nelson, died on April 21 at the age of 57. According to his only sister, Tyka Nelson, Prince left behind no known will.

Nelson and his five half-siblings will continue to allow wealth management firm Bremer Trust to serve as special administrator of the iconic musician’s fortune, which is estimated to be worth about $300 million.

In addition to Prince’s wealth, the rights to his brand are also unassigned, which is significant considering the music legend reportedly left behind thousands of unreleased songs.

Prince is also survived two ex-wives. A newborn son named Boy Gregory died when he was just a week old in October, 1996.

On Friday, Prince’s ex-wife, Mayte Garcia , spoke about the death of the couple’s infant son at an event in Los Angeles, as reported by USA Today .

“Like most women, I always dreamt of becoming a mother. Unfortunately, I got pregnant, lost the baby months later and then lost my marriage.”

Meanwhile, according to Fox News , Bremer Trust is busy tallying up the assets Prince left behind , which include financial accounts, real estate, recording catalog and the previously-mentioned unreleased recordings in his vault at Paisley Park.

One of the more difficult tasks ahead for Bremer Trust is determining the value on many of Prince’s financial assets.

The company will also have the difficult task of verifying the heirs of Prince’s estate and what is owed to creditors. There is still the possibility that a will, trust documents, or an estate plan surfaces while the company continues to dig into Prince’s affairs.

According to Fox News , Minnesota law is clear that his sister Tyka Nelson and his half-siblings will inherit Prince’s estate . Unless, of course, someone comes forth claiming to be a sibling or child of Prince.

One Illinois resident, Darcell Gresham Johnston, has already come forward claiming to be Prince’s sixth half-sibling, according to statements she made to the Associated Press .

While court documents identify Johnston only as “an interested party and beneficiary in this matter,” the judge authorized the genetic testing “recognizing that parentage issues might arise.”

A claim filed by a California man contends that Prince gave him control over his music catalog and vault via a verbal agreement in the mid-1990s, so the court will have to decide on that claim as well.

According to the judge, creditors have a four-month deadline to claim a debt owed by Prince’s estate.

While Bremer Trust and the courts continue to wrestle through the legal quagmire left behind after Prince passed away, whomever winds up with his fortune will be facing some heavy taxation when January rolls around.

Reportedly, taxes could claim over half of Prince’s estate. The beneficiary or beneficiaries will be required to file estate tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service, assuming it’s worth more than about $5 million, and with the state, assuming it’s bigger than $1.6 million.

The taxes owned following Prince’s death could be substantial, considering the top federal rate is 40 percent and Minnesota’s is 16 percent.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for NCLR]

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