Remembering Prince

Sheila E. is doing everything she can to make sure no one exploits Prince's music or his money ... but she's NOT warring with his family over her friend's estate.

Sheila has deep concerns that vultures are looking for opportunities to profit off Prince's death -- so she's offered her support to his family and Paisley Park reps ... according to Sheila's rep.

The rep says there's no truth to reports Sheila is fighting with Tyka, Prince's sister, over the estate. She adds, Sheila "has received no compensation nor will accept compensation" ... and she's already turned down multiple offers to get paid for "tribute" concerts.

Prince was addicted to Percocet for years before his death ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources connected with the singer's family tell us, doctors prescribed the powerful painkiller in 2009 when he was suffering from hip problems. We're told he had corrective surgery sometime around 2010, but by then he was hooked on the drug.

Our sources say Prince developed a sometimes debilitating dependence on Percocet in the years that followed.

TMZ broke the story, Prince almost died from a Percocet OD 6 days before he was found dead in an elevator.

And as we reported, Prince made at least 4 trips to a Walgreens pharmacy near his home in the week leading up to his death.

We're told the feds are now investigating who prescribed the drug, who filled the prescriptions and under what circumstances.

A free-for-all has erupted over the right to sell merchandise with Prince's mug.

We did some checking, and turns out there's no particular law in Minnesota that protects a person's image after he or she dies. Translation ... when Prince passed away last week, there's nothing in the law specifically prohibiting any Tom, Dick, or Harry from plastering Prince's face on t-shirts, socks, posters, key chains and all things cheesy.

It's way different from places like California and Tennessee, where courts and legislatures have given the estates of dead celebs the right to go after people who try and make a quick buck off famous images.

Fact is ... Minnesota hasn't been home to that many deceased international celebs, so it looks like the courts have never had to deal with protection of images after death.

As a result, there are a bunch of fly-by-night companies that are hawking R.I.P. Prince gear.

We're told Prince's siblings are aware people are profiting off Prince's image, and they're considering filing a test case. It's unclear how the Minnesota courts will rule, but for now it's the Wild Wild West in the Midwest.

Prince was in such bad shape when his jet made an emergency landing 6 days before his death, he had to be carried off the plane by his bodyguard ... TMZ has learned.

We've obtained an incident report from the Moline Fire Dept. which responded to the pilot's call for medical assistance. Although Prince's people claimed he was suffering from the flu, our sources say it was actually a life-threatening Percocet overdose.

According to the report, Prince's bodyguard carried the singer off the plane to emergency responders who had already arrived.

Prince was put in an ambulance which then raced to the hospital, accompanied by a firetruck.

It's now official ... a judge has determined Prince died without a will and the bank the singer trusted has officially been appointed to manage his assets.

TMZ has obtained legal docs from a hearing that was held Wednesday morning in Minnesota. We broke the story, Prince's sister, Tyka, filed papers to start probate proceedings, stating as far as she knew her brother did not write a will.

The judge agrees, and has ruled Prince's assets will be distributed to his heirs ... in this case, his brothers and sisters.

The judge also appointed Bremer Trust to serve as the administrator of Prince's estate, which we're told is worth somewhere south of $150 million. Tyka says Prince trusted the bank and did business there for years. The judge is only making the trust the administrator for up to 6 months, until a personal representative can be appointed. That could end up being a sticky situation if his relatives all vie for the position.

BTW, Prince's half brother, Omarr Baker, appeared at the hearing.

Prince was a disaster when it came to finances and his business affairs, and many of the people who worked with him say ignoring their advice to make a will is just a small piece of a chaotic puzzle.

We're told in the 5 years leading up to Prince's death, it was virtually impossible to get his signature on any legal document. Sources who worked with Prince tell us, he felt "screwed over" by people who had him sign deals in his younger years, and that made him "paranoid" to sign anything.

Prince was so distrusting ... he jumped from lawyer to lawyer almost every year, and sometimes more often. One professional who worked with the singer tells us, Prince called him out of the blue one day and said he wanted to hire him. The professional asked Prince for his business files, and the answer was, "I don't know, they're out there somewhere." The professional never got the files.

We're told although Prince hired and fired a slew of professionals, his most trusted advisers were "beautiful, 20-something women, all models with no experience in anything." It caused chaos in his life ... especially in the financial department.

We broke the story, Prince's sister, Tyka, filed legal docs Tuesday stating there was no evidence of a will.

Police in the Prince death investigation have interviewed a lawyer who repped 2 of the singer's siblings who claimed Prince abused Percocet and cocaine and they feared he'd "die young."

Mike Padden is an attorney who repped Prince's half sister Lorna and stepbrother Duane in the early 2000s. Padden tells TMZ both Lorna and Duane separately told him Prince regularly abused the drugs. BTW, Duane was very close to Prince and even worked as his bodyguard.

We're told the lawyer contacted the cops and they called him back over the weekend for an interview and he relayed the information about the drugs.

Duane died in 2011 and Lorna passed in 2006, so Padden's information is not up to date. Another very close family member -- who was in touch with Prince 'til the end -- also tells TMZ Prince had used those drugs for many years.

There's another point of view ... we've spoken with several people who were around Prince in the last few years of his life who say they saw no evidence of drug use ... saying Prince was a "health nut."

As we reported, Prince OD'd on Percocet 6 days before he died.

The investigation into his death is ongoing.

Prince's sister Tyka has filed legal docs to open a probate case ... and she says as far as she can tell he left no will.

TMZ has obtained probate documents filed in Minnesota, in which Tyka asks the judge to appoint a "special administrator." Under Minnesota law, a special administrator is someone who is appointed when there is no executor named in a will.

Tyka says in her docs, "I do not know of the existence of a will and have no reason to believe that the decedent executed testamentary documents in any form."

If Prince did indeed die without a will, the estate is divided equally among his siblings.

Tyka lists the people who are potential beneficiaries ... all of whom are half brothers and sisters. They are John, Norrine, Sharon, Alfred and Omarr. They are all living siblings of Prince. She also says she's an heir entitled to her cut.

It's interesting ... Tyka names Lorna as a deceased half sister who left no kids. Under Minnesota law Lorna's out of the game when it comes to getting assets. But Tyka never even mentions Duane, reportedly Prince's half brother, who is also deceased.

There's also a line in the docs in which Tyka says, "The decedent has heirs whose identities and addresses need to be determined."

It appears Prince died without leaving a will ... as a result his 6 siblings -- even the half brothers and sisters -- could split a fortune.

Multiple sources who have worked with Prince as recently as 2014 tell us ... he did not have a will. Of course it's possible in the last year or so Prince had a change of heart and drafted one, but all of our sources say based on his history with them that's highly unlikely.

Our sources say various professionals raised the issue of a will with Prince but he never had an interest in drafting one.

We've contacted various people, including family members, and they all say they have not seen a will and so far no one has come forward with one.

If Prince did indeed die without a will, under Minnesota law his siblings -- the closest living relatives -- would share equally in his estate. Prince had 8 brothers and sisters, and only Tyka was a full sibling.

People have assumed Tyka -- who has taken the reins -- would get everything, but that's not the case. In Minnesota half siblings and full siblings are treated exactly the same when it comes to inheritance without a will ... they all share equally.

Two of Prince's siblings are dead, leaving 6. There's one catch. If the deceased siblings had kids, they would be entitled to the same share as their parent.

As we reported ... our sources say Prince's estate is worth somewhere south of $150 million.

Prince had chronic money problems for years preceding his death ... this according to multiple sources who advised the singer.

Our sources -- all of whom had regular contact with Prince and were intimately familiar with his finances -- tell us, the singer refused to leverage or sell his main asset -- his vast music catalog.

The most common way singers like Prince make a steady flow of income is to sell or license their art. We're told Prince consistently shut down business opportunities that could have fueled his finances. Prince had numerous opportunities to use his music in movies, TV shows and commercials, but with few exceptions, he turned thumbs down.

The primary way Prince made money was concerts, but our sources say the singer was so impulsive he would do shows on the spur of the moment with poor planning and little promotion. Although many were successful, enough of them weren't ... causing him to lose a fortune.

The biggest problem ... Prince spent way more than he made, and our sources say money was always an issue. As we reported, the estimated net worth of $300 million was grossly inflated. We're told it's less than half that. It's still a lot of money, but it could've been so much more if he'd cashed in on his greatest asset ... that catalog.

Prince's former band members, Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman, are speaking out for the first time about his death.

Wendy (guitar) and Lisa (keyboards) -- the most prominent members of The Revolution -- were at LAX Sunday morning, on their way to Minnesota ... and revealed plans for the band to get back together to honor their friend and bandleader.

If, like most people, you watched "Purple Rain" this weekend ... you saw how close Prince was to Wendy and Lisa, and it's clear in this video just how crushed they are by the loss.

Prince split from The Revolution in 1986, but still occasionally performed with Wendy and Lisa. One of the last times was an instant classic gig at the 2006 Brit Awards.

Prince's famous home and recording studio is now a shrine to the legendary singer ... packed with tons of memorabilia from his career.

These photos were taken inside Paisley Park and reveal some of what fans could be seeing in the near future. Sheila E. has said plans are in the works to turn PP into a museum.

Check out the gallery -- Prince's awards, photos, costumes (yeah, the "Raspberry Beret" one), and even his famous motorcycle ... it's all there.

The ashes of Prince were gingerly carried away from the mortuary where he was cremated.

Prince's nephew, Pres Nelson, did the honors as his mom, Prince's sister Tyka, cleared the way. We don't know the identity of the woman walking behind Pres.

Pres shielded the urn by placing it underneath his jacket.

So far, the family hasn't said where the ashes will be strewn.

The Game came thiis close to cutting a hit song with Prince, but ultimately ... a curse killed the project.

Game was in Bev Hills -- shopping for a Prince party, btw -- when he revealed his Prince experience ... meeting up to discuss a collabo a few years ago.

You gotta see Game explain how his commitment to cussing ended up sinking the deal. Yes, he actually chose the four-letter word over getting Prince on the track.

Prince's life-threatening medical emergency 6 days before he died comes through loud and clear in transmissions between his pilot and air traffic control.

The audio transmissions -- obtained by TMZ -- chronicle a pilot who had to get his plane on the ground STAT in Moline, Illinois to save his famous passenger. Prince's plane is identified as "990." At 48 seconds you hear the controller from the Chicago Center say, "CFR [Crash, Fire, Rescue] will be waiting."

As we reported, our sources say Prince almost died from an overdose of Percocet ... and the situation was so dire CFR administered a "save drug" right at the airport ... as soon as the plane landed.

Prince's business empire lacked control before his death, and now his relatives and lawyers are left scrambling to pick up the pieces.

Sources close to the singer tell TMZ he often switched up his team of advisers, especially if he didn't like what they had to say. We're told Prince lacked high powered attorneys with the kind of experience needed to sort out business affairs, and handle a music catalog like his.

Our sources say Prince's sister Tyka has been calling most of the shots since his death. However, we're told even honchos at his label, Warner Bros Music aren't sure where the rights to his songs will fall.

We're also told reports of the singer's fortune being close to $300 million are inflated, and it's probably closer to half that. Still, it's a ton of dough someone will have to control.