Prince. Photo / Getty Images
Prince's sister and their five surviving half-siblings have come together to discuss how to proceed with the division of the late legend's estate.
The Purple Rain icon died at his Paisley Park studios compound in Minnesota on April 21. He left no will.
On Wednesday, a judge approved a request by the singer's sister, Tyka Nelson, to open a probate case, after confirming the superstar had failed to leave instructions regarding his final wishes.
The judge also agreed to appoint executives at the Bremer Trust, National Association, to serve as the official administrators of Prince's estate for up to six months, until a personal representative could take over the responsibility.
As per state law, the star's assets, which TMZ reports are valued at less than US$150 million ($214 million), will be split evenly between his heirs, who have been listed as Tyka, Alfred Jackson, John Nelson, Norrine Nelson, Sharon Nelson and Omarr Baker.
They all met in Minnesota on Thursday to address the issue for the first time since the court ruling, and half-brother Jackson, who hadn't seen Prince in 15 years, says things went smoothly.
Asked how the meeting went, he told NBC News, "Pretty good, made me feel a lot better."
His lawyer Frank Wheaton claims he does not foresee any issues with splitting up the estate, which he believes Prince may have planned for in his own special way.
"Everything was everywhere," Wheaton said. "I have a theory that perhaps he intended it this way, so he could, in a very unbiased way, share with all of his siblings."
This week also marked Jackson's first time stepping inside Prince's fabled Paisley Park studios, and he was in awe at the compound.
"I knew he built it... with his own hands, so I just wanted to see it," Jackson explained.
Meanwhile, authorities investigating the circumstances surrounding Prince's death have executed a search warrant on his local Minnesota pharmacy.
The superstar had been photographed making a stop at his local Walgreens on the eve of his death, and on Thursday, officials carried out a thorough search of the pharmacy, looking for prescription records that could shed some light on his medical issues.
According to TMZ, Prince had made four prescription runs to the Walgreens in the week leading up to his untimely passing, days after he was briefly hospitalised in Moline, Illinois, for what his representative insisted was just a nasty bout of the flu.
The health scare on April 15 had forced the pilot of his private jet to make an emergency landing in Moline as they travelled home following a gig in Atlanta, Georgia, and reports have since alleged Prince had actually suffered an overdose of Percocet.
Authorities had descended on the Walgreens pharmacy searching for paperwork in Prince's name or any possible aliases, and they are said to be targeting other medical officials who may have also provided medication to the singer.
Prescription pills are also alleged to have been found at his Paisley Park pad.
Prince's cause of death is still under investigation. His remains were cremated during a private ceremony last weekend, a day after authorities completed an initial autopsy on his body.
- WENN