• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Mendel Law Firm, L.P.

Attorneys & Counselors

Call Now: (281) 759-3213

  • FB
  • TW
  • IN
  • RSS
LP Payment button
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • About The American Academy
    • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Mission Statement
    • Multimedia
    • Published Books
    • The Academy Fellow Designation
  • Services
    • Asset Protection & Business Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
      • Are You A Caregiver
      • Coping With Alzheimer’s
      • Guardianship & Conservatorship
      • Hospice Care
      • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Veteran’s Benefits
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Financial Planning Assistance
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration & Probate
  • Seminars
  • Testimonials
    • Client Testimonials
    • Representative Clients
    • Review Us
  • Resources
    • Areas We Serve
      • Baytown
      • Conroe
      • Galveston
      • Houston
      • Pasadena
      • Woodlands
      • West University Place
    • Elder Law Reports
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Galveston Elder Law
      • Houston Elder Law
      • Sugar Land Elder Law
      • West University Place Elder Law
      • Woodlands Elder Law
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate Planning Reports
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top Estate Planning Techniques
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Asset Protection Planning
      • Avoidance Tax Planning
      • Avoiding Probate
      • Business Succession Planning
      • Charitable Gifting
      • Elder Law
      • Estate Planning
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • IRA and Retirement Planning
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Living Trusts
      • Medicaid
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Nursing Home Planning
      • Pet Planning
      • Power of Attorney
      • Probate
      • Trust Administration
      • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Trusts
      • Veterans Benefits
      • Wills
    • LGBTQ Resources
    • Probate Resources
      • Houston Probate
      • Sugarland Probate
      • Woodlands Probate
      • West University Place Probate
    • Probate & Trust Administration Resources
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss of a Loved One
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
    • Special Needs Resources
    • Newsletters
  • Contact Us
  • BLOG
Home » BLOG » Famous Estates-Champ or Chump? Prince Rogers Nelson

Famous Estates-Champ or Chump? Prince Rogers Nelson

May 3, 2019 by Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney

 

Prince on Purple Rain Album

Prince Rogers Nelson (1958-2016) [musician]

In 1982, Prince released a song dubbed, 1999. In it, he expressed the following sentiment, “But life is just a party, and parties weren’t meant to last.” Prince Rogers Nelson is an American musical legend known for his avant-garde approach to music. Rolling Stone magazine once named Prince the 27th greatest artist of all time. The Los Angeles Times described Prince as, “among the most versatile and restlessly experimental pop artists of our time.”

A Restless Artist

Restless is a fitting choice word for the singer/songwriter. Being restless led to Prince’s creation of some of the most influential music of the 80s and onwards. Each new hit presented a wide range of musical styles and social issues. However, being restless also led to a reckless lifestyle. This caught up to the legend when he died in 2016 in his mansion after overdosing on opioids. Yet, it was Prince’s family who was left to clean up the aftermath of his life’s party.

When the Party Is Over

The breaking report of Prince’s death from drug overdose unsurprisingly consumed the news media. Yet, the real firestorm came when Prince’s family was unable to produce any form of last Will and Testament. Prince’s only full sibling, Tyka Nelson filed for probate soon after.

Within three weeks of Prince’s death, 700 people had claimed to be half-siblings or descendants. DNA profiling had to ensue. As of 2018, two years after Prince’s death, his family had yet to see as much as a dime of Prince’s $200 million estate. Even worse, the continually contested case has resulted in several million dollars lost to the fees of such a lengthy probate.

Champ or Chump?

Prince was quoted once saying, “People speculate on your personal life all the time anyway. So I just think it’s important to keep my private life private and my public persona more into music, you know?” Sadly, the music idol’s reckless choice to never form an estate plan in life turned his private life into a drawn out public spectacle after death. It is hard to deny that wild abandonment can lead to great success in the music industry. Listeners are always looking for something new and shocking and Prince provided. However, this lifestyle won’t fly most anywhere else.

A lack of forethought can and will lead to a disaster in your estate planning. Fortunately, this is why lawyers, focused in the estate planning practice, exist. If you would like to learn more about estate planning and the process of protecting the one’s you love from the stress of dying intestate, contact the Mendel Law Firm, L.P., for a free initial consultation on estate planning, trust planning, and/or probate issues.

 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician)
https://thegrapevine.theroot.com/lawyers-leach-millions-from-prince-s-estate-while-his-f-1825299916
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Mr. Stephen Mendel is an attorney who focuses a substantial part of his practice on estate planning. Mr. Mendel’s guiding principle is to provide his clients with quality legal services tailored to each client’s specific needs and goals.
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Latest posts by Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney (see all)
  • Thought of the Day - February 1, 2023
  • Thought of the Day - January 25, 2023
  • Thought of the Day - January 18, 2023

Filed Under: General

Other Articles You May Find Useful

  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day

About Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney

Mr. Stephen Mendel is an attorney who focuses a substantial part of his practice on estate planning. Mr. Mendel’s guiding principle is to provide his clients with quality legal services tailored to each client’s specific needs and goals.

Primary Sidebar

The Mendel Law Firm

Follow Us

  • FB
  • TW
  • IN
  • RSS

Blog Subscription

Subscribe to our blog to get all of the latest updates from our attorneys.

Plan For Your Future and Protect Your Legacy

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

HOUSTON

The Mendel Law Firm, L.P.
1155 Dairy Ashford, Suite 104
Houston 77079
United States (US)
Phone: (281) 759-3213
Fax: 281-759-3214

Map

map

Office Hours

Monday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Footer

The Mendel Law Firm

The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an
attorney-client relationship.

© 2023 Mendel Law Firm, All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Site Map | Powered by American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys