Judge rules Prince's six siblings are the heirs to his $300m fortune despite a woman who says she married him in Vegas, another musician named Prince and hundreds of others trying to lay claim to his estate
- Kevin Eide, the judge in Carve County where Prince died, ruled Friday that the 'Purple Rain' star's heirs were his sister Tyka Nelson and five other half siblings
- The ruling starts a one-year period in which people who claim to be related to Prince can still make their appeal
- One woman said she had a secret wedding to Prince in Las Vegas while a musician claimed Prince agreed on a tour bus to hand him his whole estate
- Court ruling will also give further clarification as to the status of Prince's vault of unreleased songs
- Prince died at Paisley Park in April last year from an accidental overdose of powerful painkillers
Prince (pictured) died suddenly last year at his Paisley Park estate
A Minnesota judge ruled Friday that Prince's six siblings are the heirs to his estate, a key step in the long battle over the pop legend's fortune.
Kevin Eide, the judge in Carver County where Prince died suddenly last year at his Paisley Park estate, said that the 'Purple Rain' star's heirs were his sister Tyka Nelson and five half-siblings.
'The heirs of the estate are determined to be Omarr Baker, Alfred Jackson, Sharon Nelson, Norrine Nelson, John R. Nelson and Tyka Nelson,' the order read.
The ruling will not immediately hand over Prince's fortune - which is estimated to be worth up to $300million - to his siblings.
Instead, it starts a one-year process in which people who claim to be related to Prince can still make their appeals, but be definitively excluded if the judge does not accept their case.
Tyka Nelson (center right), pictured with family, is one of Prince's six siblings that will potentially inherit the musicians $300m fortune
The pop legend died at Paisley Park (pictured) in April last year from an accidental overdose of powerful painkillers
The ruling comes nine days after a hearing in which the siblings pressed for a resolution and following months of sometimes colorful claims by people who say they are Prince's descendants.
Among the claims received by the court were one from a woman who said she had a secret wedding to Prince in Las Vegas and a little-known musician who alleged that Prince agreed on a tour bus to hand him his whole estate.
The judge's ruling will also provide more clarity on control of Prince's legendary vault of unreleased songs, with the estate already sealing deals for future releases.
A set of previously unreleased tracks by Prince have been and are going on sale to mark the one-year anniversary of the musician's death.
Norrine Nelson, Prince's half sister, attends court hearings to determine what is to happen next with the artist's estate. A one-year process now is underway for people who claim to be related to Prince to still make their appeals
The ruling comes nine days after a hearing in which the siblings, including half sibling Sharon Nelson (pictured), pressed for a resolution
Omarr Baker (pictured), his half-brother, was among the siblings wishing for an expedited process
One, 'Deliverance,' was put on iTunes and Apple Music on April 18. Five other tracks were released on April 21 and a disc version will be released on June 2.
The overall EP, entitled 'Deliverance', features six songs recorded by Prince between 2006 and 2008 with fellow musician Ian Boxill, who spent the last year completing the compositions, arrangements and production, independent record company RMA, which is releasing the music, said in a statement.
'I hope when people hear Prince singing these songs it will bring comfort to many,' Boxill said in the statement.
Tyka Nelson (pictured) now wait for other claims to the estate. One woman said she had a secret wedding to Prince in Las Vegas while a musician claimed Prince agreed on a tour bus to hand him his whole estate
The case will also decide what is to come from the music legend's (pictured) vault that had unreleased music
The songs were written and recorded when Prince was an independent artist, protesting what he saw as an unjust music industry, the statement said.
The pop legend died at Paisley Park in April last year from an accidental overdose of powerful painkillers.
The 57-year-old - outwardly a model of health who did not drink, advocated a vegetarian diet and fired musicians who abused drugs - left no will and had no living children who were recognized.
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