Man, writing prescriptions of controlled substances, intentionally using a pseudonym for the recipient is a pretty effective way to get your license and/or your DEA number revoked.

One year ago today. Still miss the man and the music.

Anybody watch "When Doves Cry" on Reelz? Another documentary but it has a cheesy actor playing Prince in what looks like a bad Lifetime movie.

http://www.reelz.com/prince-when-doves-cry/

OMG do I hate the Electric Intercourse Studio version about to come out. It beyond sucks compared to the rehearsal that's been around for decades.

Damn. 1 year already! Time sure does pass you by.

His estate must have cleaned house on YouTube. Last summer, there were all kinds of Prince videos and whatnot, but I went to look last night and all I could find was table scrapes of his music.

RIP prince

That was a seriously awesome moment. Every night after I put the kids to bed I poured some drinks and just dove in. Everything was on there.

I'm glad I downloaded many of those rare clips before they disappeared.

his rock and roll hall of fame performance of his music is still up. As is the jam session of While My Guitar Gently Weeps
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5TSVNBpsrys" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Judge declares Prince's 6 siblings the heirs to his estate.

A Minnesota judge has ruled that Prince's six siblings are the heirs to his estate, more than a year after the pop superstar died of a drug overdose.
In a ruling made public Friday, Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide declared that Prince died without a will and that his heirs are his sister, Tyka Nelson, and five half-siblings — Sharon Nelson, Norrine Nelson, John R. Nelson, Omarr Baker and Alfred Jackson.

Some appeals are still pending from people whose claims of heirship were rejected earlier. More than 45 people filed claims to be Prince's wife, children, siblings or other relatives in the wake of his death. Eide said if appellate courts send any rejected claimants back to him, he will consider them.

Eide also said Prince's assets won't be distributed without a formal court order and that nothing will be distributed that might adversely affect the claims of those with pending appeals.

Eide previously said he wouldn't declare the siblings as heirs until those appeals had been decided. But lawyers for Prince's siblings didn't want to wait, saying further delays would have increased costs to the estate and impede its efficient administration. The siblings' attorneys didn't immediately reply to phone calls seeking comment.

Attorneys for those who did appeal had said their interests would be harmed if the district court didn't wait out the appeals process before naming the heirs. Andrew Stoltmann, a lawyer for a woman and a girl appealing a rejected claim, said he hadn't seen the new ruling but would examine it and determine whether or not to appeal it.

Prince died April 21, 2016, of an accidental drug overdose. Court filings suggest his estate is worth around $200 million. Federal and state estate taxes are expected to consume about half the value.

Since Prince's death, his Paisley Park studio complex and home has been turned into a museum and concert venue. His estate has also struck deals to make his albums available by streaming, and next month plans to release a remastered "Purple Rain" album as well as two albums of unreleased music and two concert films.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/...state-47512784

The only heir I'm interested in having some control is the one that wants to release extra tracks from the 80's.

I would assume that his heirs would have interest in releasing anything that will make them money.

Believe it or not, Prince now has an official YouTube channel. This is something he would never have if he was still alive.

At least now maybe the younger generations will experience his music without fear of those videos getting removed.

https://www.youtube.com/user/prince

Sounds just like Prince and a gift she received from her.

yup, just as terrible.

As Prince heirs stew, bankers and lawyers cash in on estate.

As the second anniversary of Prince's death approaches, his heirs have yet to collect a dollar of his estimated $200 million estate. But bankers, lawyers and consultants have earned millions from it.

The long saga to settle the estate provides a cautionary tale about dying without a will, as Prince did when he died of an accidental opioid overdose at his suburban Minneapolis studio on April 21, 2016, and the heirs can't quit squabbling.

Here's a look at where things stand:

NO DOUGH YET

Even though it's been nearly two years since Prince died, the executor of the estate, Comerica Bank and Trust, can't split the money among Prince's six surviving siblings until the Internal Revenue Service and executor agree on the estate's value when Prince died.

It's not clear when that might happen. The IRS and state of Minnesota are entitled to collect about half, though the estate can stretch out the payments over time.

THE ESTATE'S VALUE

Court filings several months after Prince's death suggested that it was worth around $200 million before taxes. The actual value remains one of the biggest secrets in the case, hidden in sealed and redacted documents. The actual valuation could have gone up or down since then.

That's because the various attorneys, accountants and industry experts at that point had not yet finished appraisals and deals for the use of his music, videos and assets including his Paisley Park studio. Attorneys for the heirs did not return calls for this story or declined to comment.

FRICTIONS AND FACTIONS

The six heirs have been bitterly split. Sharon Nelson, Norrine Nelson and John R. Nelson form one faction that has battled Comerica and other heirs on several fronts, including Comerica's decision to move the contents of Prince's vault of recordings from Paisley Park to Los Angeles.

But the six showed rare unity last week when Tyka Nelson, Omarr Baker and Alfred Jackson joined the other three in strenuously objecting to an unspecified "entertainment transaction" in the works that they say would be "an embarrassment to Prince's legacy."

The volume of heavily redacted and sealed court filings and counter-filings suggests it's big, but the public portions don't say whether it's a new music rights deal to replace a failed agreement with Universal Music Group or something else. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

Most of the siblings have kept low public profiles. Sharon Nelson has been the most outspoken. She recently released an album of music composed by her father and Prince's father, the late jazz musician John L. Nelson. She also tweeted fresh criticism of Comerica last week, asking why Prince fans haven't been offered any new music.

WHO IS GETTING PAID SO FAR?

A small army of lawyers and the taxman. Public filings don't say how much the estate has already paid the IRS and state of Minnesota, but Comerica and its lawyers have already collected at least $5.9 million in fees and expenses, according to a filing last month.

"There is legitimate concern that at the end of the Estate's administration there will be little, if anything left to pass on to the Heirs," attorneys for Sharon, Norrine and John wrote in that filing.

The $5.9 million doesn't include a pending request for nearly $2.9 million in fees and expenses for Comerica and its lawyers. Nor does it include fees for the heirs' lawyers and other attorneys, or fees for the estate's main music adviser, Spotify executive Troy Carter.

Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide has admonished everyone to keep spending under control, writing that the estate "is not an unlimited resource!"

A SETTLEMENT?

The agenda for Wednesday's hearing also includes a Comerica motion to approve some sort of settlement.

Nearly all details have been redacted, but one dispute that appears ripe for a settlement is the estate's lawsuit against Jay Z's Roc Nation and the Tidal streaming service over alleged copyright violations.

Whatever the settlement is about, Sharon, Norrine and John oppose it. They say the estate could win more in litigation.

https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment...state-54483014

Oh yeah these people are having a party like its 1999.

I like it! Particularly the video.

No criminal charges in Prince's death, attorney says.

No criminal charges will be filed in relation to Prince's April 2016 death, Carver County attorney Mark Metz said in a news conference on Thursday.

Prince, who suffered from an opiate addiction, died of an accidental fentanyl overdose after taking counterfeit Vicodin pills that were laced with fentanyl, Metz said.

"Prince had no idea he was taking a counterfeit pill that could kill him," the attorney said.

There is no evidence showing how Prince obtained those counterfeit pills and no evidence as to their source, Metz said. Because of that, there will be no criminal charges filed in the case.

The announcement came nearly two years after Prince, the larger-than-life recording artist, was found unresponsive in an elevator at Paisley Park, his home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. He was 57.

Fentanyl is a powerful painkiller about 30 to 50 times stronger than heroin.
"Prince's death is a tragic example that opioid addiction and overdose deaths do not discriminate, no matter the demographic," Metz said.

Prince's doctor settles civil allegations

Although there will be no criminal charges, the Minnesota physician who saw Prince twice in the weeks before the artist's death agreed to pay $30,000 to the United States to settle civil allegations that he prescribed drugs to someone else knowing that Prince would take them.

Dr. Michael Schulenberg prescribed the painkiller Percocet to Prince, but put the one-time prescription in the name of Kirk Johnson, Prince's former drummer and longtime friend, Metz said on Thursday. He made that decision to protect Prince's privacy, Metz said.

Prince had an 'exceedingly high' concentration of fentanyl in his body when he died. Schulenberg did not admit liability as part of the agreement, which settled what law enforcement officials contended was a civil violation of the Controlled Substances Act.

"Doctors are trusted medical professionals and, in the midst of our opioid crisis, they must be part of the solution," said US Attorney Greg Brooker. "As licensed professionals, doctors are held to a high level of accountability in their prescribing practices, especially when it comes to highly addictive painkillers."

Amy S. Conners, Schulenberg's attorney, said in a statement the settlement was made "in order to avoid the expense, delay, and unknown outcome of litigation."

Conners said that Schulenberg affirmed he did not prescribe opiates to any patient with the intention that they be given to Prince.

"After he learned of Prince's addiction, he immediately worked to refer Prince to a treatment facility and to transfer care to a chemical dependency specialist," Conners said.

"Dr. Schulenberg has previously disclosed all information regarding his care and treatment of Prince to his employers, law enforcement, and regulatory authorities in the course of his complete cooperation with all related investigations."

F. Clayton Tyler, an attorney for Johnson, said Johnson was relieved that no charges have been filed against him.

"He continues to deny that he had anything to do with the death of his close friend, Prince," Tyler said in a statement obtained by CNN affiliate WCCO.

"Prince's death was a tragedy that few could experience more deeply than Kirk Johnson. Today's decision affirms his innocence, and he will continue to mourn and honor his friend every day."

Federal prosecutors and the Drug Enforcement Administration had opened an investigation into how Prince obtained the prescription medication, the agencies have said.

None of the medications found in Prince's home was prescribed to him, according to court documents unsealed in April 2017.

Some bottles of opioid painkillers in his home were prescribed to Johnson, and other medications were found in vitamin bottles and envelopes, search warrants showed.

Charles "Chazz" Smith, Prince's cousin and drummer, said he was outraged by the decision.

"I know the DEA and the investigators and all of the law enforcement people went through Prince's house with a fine-tooth comb and conducted this investigation to the best of their abilities.

My hat's off to them," he said. "I'm not outraged at them. I'm outraged by people in Prince's inner circle not speaking up about what really happened. Those people who were around him when he died, they know what went on."

Prince, whose full name was Prince Rogers Nelson, had a complicated history with opioids, the addicting painkillers. The day before he died, his team had called an opioid addiction specialist in California seeking urgent help for him, an attorney working for the specialist and his son said in 2016.

Kim Berry, Prince's hairstylist, said she was surprised that no criminal charges were filed in the case.

"That person or the people responsible for it will have to answer to God," she said.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/19/us/pr...ion/index.html

It's hard to believe today is the second anniversary of his death. If only he had sought treatment sooner, he might be alive today.

I was just reading that he wrote this song in an hour at the age of 26.

Anyway they release that rehearsal video with the real audio? I would much rather see it (hear it) that way.