The Purple Reign… in Chaos: Netflix, Secrets, and the Fight Over Prince's Legacy
In February 2025, Prince’s name lit up headlines once again—but not for a posthumous album or tribute. Instead, it was a bombshell: a nine-hour Netflix documentary, helmed by Oscar-winning director Ezra Edelman, was abruptly shut down by Prince’s own estate.1 Why? They blasted the film as a sensationalized, fact-twisting exposé that dredged up dark, unverified allegations and painted an intimate portrait that Prince would have never approved.2
But this wasn’t just a case of Hollywood drama or creative differences. It cracked open a much deeper issue—one that’s been brewing since the moment Prince Rogers Nelson died over nine years ago on April 21, 2016, without so much as a will. What followed was a years-long war over his $156 million empire: court battles, family feuds, tax fights, and now, full-blown cultural gatekeeping over who gets to tell his story.
And the wildest part? All of it—the chaos, the conflict, the $60 million in legal carnage—could’ve likely been avoided with one simple act: creating an estate plan.
The Genius and the Paradox
Prince wasn’t just a musical legend—he was a revolutionary. Known for hits like “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry,” he was also a savvy business strategist who famously fought for control of his masters and reshaped the music industry’s conversation around ownership.3
Ironically, for all his brilliance and independence, Prince never signed a will.
Despite having access to the best accountants, financial advisors, and legal experts, he unexpectedly passed away in 2016 with no estate plan whatsoever. The man who insisted on control in life left a multi-million-dollar empire to chance in death—a paradox that continues to shape his story today. But for the rest of us with more modest estates, dying without an estate plan can be devastating for our loved ones—saddling them with avoidable legal costs and exposing them to unnecessary stress, delays, and potential family conflict.
What Happened After His Death in 2016
Prince died suddenly at the age of 57 at his Paisley Park estate due to an accidental fentanyl overdose.4 Without a will or trust in place, Prince’s estate was subject to Minnesota’s intestacy laws—default rules that often fail to reflect the decedent’s true wishes and can result in costly and emotionally taxing probate proceedings.5 The probate process began almost immediately and dragged on for six long years, plagued by disputes among heirs, valuation challenges, and court oversight. Even after formal resolution in 2022, additional legal battles emerged—including a 2024 lawsuit accusing Prince’s former advisors of trying to seize control of Prince Legacy LLC, one of the entities managing his estate.6
At the time of his death, Prince’s estate was valued at over $156 million, but instead of passing seamlessly to his chosen beneficiaries, it became mired in years of legal battles due to his lack of an estate plan.7 Initially managed by court-appointed Comerica Bank, control of the estate later shifted to a partnership between the heirs and music publishing company Primary Wave.8 Since then, the estate has faced persistent challenges, from tax disputes and asset valuation conflicts9 to ongoing fights over branding and content control—including the high-profile cancellation of the Ezra Edelman-produced Netflix documentary.10
Without a will or trust, the assets were ultimately divided among Prince's six siblings and half-siblings—individuals Prince neither expressly included nor excluded. Under Minnesota intestacy law, Prince’s estate passed to his siblings because he died unmarried, without children, and was predeceased by both of his parents, John L. Nelson and Mattie Shaw Baker.11 The couple shared two children together, Prince and his sister, Tyka Nelson.12 Prince’s father, John, had four children from his prior marriage to Vivian Nelson: Sharon L. Nelson, Lorna Nelson, John R. Nelson, and Duane Nelson.13 Likewise, Prince’s mother, Mattie, had a son, Alfred Jackson, from a prior relationship.14 Then, following her divorce from Prince’s father, John, Mattie married Hayward Baker and had a son, Omarr Baker.15
So, Who Inherits Prince’s Estate?
Prince had a total of seven siblings but only six siblings are considered his legal heirs: Tyka Nelson, Sharon L. Nelson, Lorna Nelson, John R. Nelson, Alfred Jackson and Omarr Baker.16 Although Duane Nelson had children and grandchildren that survived Prince, they don’t inherit from Prince’s estate because Duane predeceased Prince (Duane died in 2011), and under Minnesota intestacy law, only the siblings who were alive when Prince died in 2016—meaning the surviving children of John L. Nelson and Mattie Shaw Baker—were entitled to inherit.17
Unlike Texas and Florida, Minnesota follows a modified per capita at each generation approach to intestate succession, meaning children of a predeceased sibling do not inherit if other siblings are still alive. In contrast, Texas and Florida apply a per stirpes distribution approach, where each branch of the family receives an equal share regardless of survivorship, and the descendants of a predeceased sibling inherit that sibling’s share by right of representation. So, had Prince died in Texas or Florida, Duane’s children and grandchildren would inherit Duane’s share under per stirpes distribution.
The True Cost of Dying Without an Estate Plan
The financial toll of dying intestate (without a will) is staggering. Prince’s estate reportedly spent between $45 million and $60 million in legal fees, court costs, accounting services, and administrative expenses.18 That’s nearly 30–40% of the total estate—a sum that could have gone to his family or supported causes he cared about.
Contrast that with the cost of creating an estate plan. In 2016, the federal estate tax exemption was only $5.45 million, and the top federal estate tax rate was 40%,19 meaning a significant portion of Prince’s $156 million estate was subject to federal taxation. Additionally, Minnesota imposed its own estate tax, with a $1.6 million exemption in 2016 and marginal rates ranging from 10% to 16% on amounts exceeding that threshold.20 Even with top-tier advisors, Prince could likely have implemented a sophisticated estate plan—including a revocable living trust, pour-over will, incapacity documents, and advanced tax strategies such as an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) or charitable remainder trust (CRT)—for under $100,000. Proactive planning of this kind could have preserved far more of his wealth for his intended beneficiaries or charitable causes, while avoiding years of probate litigation, delays, and public exposure. For high-net-worth individuals, failing to plan can result in tens of millions lost to taxes and legal fees.
More importantly, he could have named his own trustee, chosen who would oversee his music catalog, and protected his legacy from being reshaped by the courts or outside parties. Instead, the State of Minnesota stepped in—and made those choices for him.
Protect Your Own Purple Reign: What Prince Didn’t Do—But You Can
Prince’s story isn’t just about another wealthy celebrity estate gone wrong—it’s a powerful lesson for anyone who’s worked hard to build something meaningful. This is a real reminder of what can happen when you don’t put a plan in place, no matter how much you’ve accomplished. Prince was known for maintaining intense control over every aspect of his music and business, Prince passed away in 2016 without a will or estate plan. The result? His private affairs became public, legal disputes dragged on for years, family tensions escalated, and the control of his legacy fell—at least in part—into the hands of people he may never have chosen.
This kind of outcome isn’t reserved for the rich and famous. Whether you’re a creative professional, entrepreneur, parent, or business owner, the absence of a clear estate plan can lead to the same costly and heartbreaking consequences. Without the proper documents in place, you lose the ability to decide who manages your affairs, who receives your assets, and how your story is carried forward. Instead, state law and the court system will make those decisions for you—often in ways that don’t reflect your wishes.
A comprehensive estate plan doesn’t just protect your assets—it protects your privacy, prevents family disputes, and keeps your loved ones out of court. With tools like revocable living trusts, powers of attorney, and advanced tax strategies, a dual-licensed Attorney-CPA can help ensure that what you’ve built is preserved and passed on exactly as you intend.
You don’t have to be a global superstar to benefit from smart planning. The real power of an estate plan lies in the peace of mind it offers—knowing that your affairs are in order, your loved ones are protected, and your legacy is secure.
1 Chris Murphy, Prince’s Estate Successfully Blocks Netflix Documentary From Oscar-Winner Ezra Edelman (Feb. 7, 2025), https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/princes-estate-successfully-blocks-netflix-documentary-from- oscar-winner-ezra-edelman (last visited May 14, 2025). Ezra Edelman is a documentary film producer and director best known for O.J.: Made in America, which earned him both the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and the Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming. IMDb, Awards for Ezra Edelman, https://m.imdb.com/name/nm1554601/awards/ (last visited May 28, 2025).
2 Murphy, supra note 1.
3 See Melinda Newman, Inside Prince’s Career-Long Battle to Master His Artistic Destiny (Apr. 28, 2016), https://www.billboard.com/music/features/prince-battle-to-control-career-artist-rights-7348551/ (last visited May 14, 2025) (describing Prince’s efforts to regain control of his master recordings and champion artist ownership rights).
4 Enjoli Francis, Police release findings into Prince's death, giving glimpse into his final days (Apr. 20, 2018), https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/police-release-findings-princes-death-giving-glimpse-final/story?id=54619334 (last visited May 14, 2025).
5 Dennis M. Patrick and Beth T. Morrison, The Prince Estate: How Intestacy Works, How It Could Work, and How It Fails as an Estate Plan, 43 MITCHELL HAMLINE L. REV. 40 (2018), available at: https://mhlawreview.org/article/the- prince-estate-how-intestacy-works-how-it-could-work-and-how-it-fails-as-an-estate-plan/ (last visited May 14, 2025) (analyzing how Minnesota intestacy law governs estate distribution in cases like Prince’s, where the decedent dies unmarried and without children, resulting in his estate passing in equal shares to his six siblings and half-siblings under Minn. Stat. § 524.2-103).
6 Bill Donahue, Prince Estate Civil War: Heirs Battle In New Lawsuit Over Alleged Company Coup (Jan. 11, 2024), https://www.billboard.com/business/legal/prince-estate-lawsuit-heirs-attempting-seize-control-1235580400/ (last visited May 14, 2025) (describing the 2024 lawsuit filed by four heirs alleging that former advisors L. Londell McMillan and Charles Spicer attempted to improperly seize control of Prince Legacy LLC).
7 See Matthew F. Erskine, JD, The Battle For Prince’s Estate: Unending Conflict, Legal Drama And Lessons For Family Business (Jan. 17, 2024), https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewerskine/2024/01/17/the-battle-for-princes- estate-unending-conflict-legal-drama-and-lessons-for-family-business/ (last visited May 14, 2025) (examining how Prince’s lack of an estate plan led to prolonged legal disputes and offering cautionary insights for family businesses on the importance of succession planning, clear communication, and professional guidance to preserve legacy).
8 Donahue, supra note 6.
9 Ben Sisario, I.R.S. Says Prince’s Estate Worth Twice What Administrators Reported, N.Y. TIMES (Jan. 4, 2021, updated Jan. 22, 2021), https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/04/arts/music/prince-estate-taxes.html (last visited May 14, 2025) (reporting on the IRS’s $163.2 million valuation of Prince’s estate—nearly double what the estate’s administrator claimed—and detailing the resulting U.S. Tax Court dispute over music rights, real estate, and the value of Prince’s name and likeness).
10 See Erskine, supra note 7 (discussing the estate’s 2024 lawsuit over control of Prince Legacy LLC, and highlighting broader disputes over management, intellectual property, and the protection of Prince’s brand and legacy); Murphy, supra note 1 (reporting the estate’s cancellation of a Netflix documentary about Prince).
11 Chris Spargo, A Prince's ransom: Singer's heirs have paid $45M in legal fees and owe $31M in estate taxes three years after his death - but plan to pocket millions by releasing 21 albums from Paisley Park vault, DAILYMAIL.COM (Apr. 26, 2019, updated Apr. 27, 2019), https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article- 6965083/amp/Princes-heirs-paid-45M-legal-fees-owe-31M-estate-taxes-three-years-death.html (last visited May 14, 2025).
12 Id. Tyka Nelson passed away on November 4, 2024, leaving two sons, Sir Montece Laeil Nelson and President LenNard Laeil Nelson. See Alex Williams, Tyka Nelson, Sister of Prince Who Carved Her Own Path, Dies at 64, N.Y. TIMES (Nov. 5, 2024), https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/05/arts/music/tyka-nelson-sister-dead.html (last visited May 14, 2025).
13 See Spargo, supra note 8. Lorna Nelson died in 2006, without having any children, and Duane Nelson, Sr. died in 2011. Keith Harris, Prince’s Heirs Apparent: A Look At The Siblings Who Stand To Inherit His Fortune, (May 11, 2016), https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/prince-heirs-apparent-siblings-who-stand-inherit-fortune- 7364606/ (last visited May 14, 2025). Duane Sr. was survived by his daughter, Brianna Nelson, and granddaughter Victoria Nelson, the daughter of Duane Nelson, Jr. who predeceased in 2005. Id. John R. Nelson died in 2021. Williams, supra note 12.
14 See Harris, supra note 10. Alfred Jackson died in 2019. Williams, supra note 12.
15 Francesca Gariano, All About Prince's Parents, John L. Nelson and Mattie Della Shaw Baker, (Oct. 6, 2024), https://people.com/all-about-prince-parents-8720353 (last visited May 14, 2025).
16 In re Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson, No. 10-PR-16-46 (Minn. Dist. Ct. May 18, 2017).
17 See Minn. Stat. § 524.2-103(3).
18 See Spargo, supra note 11.
19 IRS, Estate Tax, IRS.GOV, https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/estate-tax (last visited May 15, 2025).
20 Minn. House Res. Dep’t, State Estate, Inheritance, and Gift Taxes (Updated Jul. 2017), https://www.house.mn.gov/hrd pubs/ss/ssesttx.pdf (last visited May 15, 2025).
