Prince Estate Court Battle Finally Ends Kevin Fleming August 2, 2022 Entertainment, Music News A Minnesota judge on Monday signed off on a deal that will finally end the long court battle over Prince’s $156 million estate, more than six years after the iconic rocker died without a will. Rolled out at a hearing Friday, the agreement paves the way for disbursement of Prince’s assets, including $6 million in cash and many times that in music rights and other intangibles. They’ll be split between three heirs and their families, their advisers, and Primary Wave — which owns roughly half of the estate. Prince died of a fentanyl overdose in April 2016 at the age of 57. Though legendary for his tight control over his intellectual property rights, the iconic artist died without a will, sparking a complex process known as probate in which courts decide how to disperse a deceased person’s estate. Because Prince died with no children or spouse, his six half-siblings were named legal heirs. Three have since sold all or most of their shares to Primary Wave; three others have retained their stakes. Advisors L. Londell McMillan and Charles Spicer, who are partnered with the three heirs who declined to sell, also control an undisclosed stake. A bank, Comerica Bank & Trust, was named as a court-appointed administrator, handling the estate’s affairs while the probate case was litigated. After years of messy wrangling among those parties, the last major hurdle was cleared in January with when the heirs reached a deal with the Internal Revenue Service to set a final tax valuation $156 million. Then in February, the judge overseeing the case approved a basic structure for how the assets would be split between the heirs and Primary Wave. Read the full story in Billboard.com. Related