Before his untimely death last year at the age of 57, Prince Rogers Nelson, better known as “Prince,” enjoyed a musical career that spanned nearly four decades. In addition to being a prolific songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer for other artists, he changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol and then back again, broke with a major record label and took his songs off of popular streaming services.
While Prince’s career choices made it clear that no one could tell him what to do while he was alive, this will not be the case in death.
Apparently, Prince did not have a will; therefore, Minnesota’s laws of intestacy will decide what happens to his estate. Similar to New Hampshire, the laws of Minnesota direct that Prince’s assets would go to his siblings, as it appears that he did not leave a spouse or children. Since Prince died without an estate plan, we don’t know if this was his wish. Prince’s significant estate, which includes personal property, real estate, bank and investment accounts, royalties and unpublished music, is likely to be subject to a lengthy Probate, as well as a significant estate tax controversy.
Read more: Why We Need a Will & What is Probate?