Author-filmmaker launches quest to find Prince's will north of the border

[Guest Nicole]

One of the hardest things to believe about the mysterious death of Prince last month is that he didn't leave a will. Ian Halperin doesn't believe it and he's launched a search effort for the so-far elusive document — in Canada.

An investigative journalist, celebrity biographer and documentary filmmaker, Halperin says he's been working on a film about the last days of Prince's life from the moment he heard about the superstar's death on April 21 at Paisley Park in Minnesota.

Halperin, a Canadian himself, says his sources, among them Prince's friends and relatives, have told him there is a will and it's probably in Canada, either Toronto or Montreal.

"I'm not saying 100% there is a will, but based on the research I’ve done so far there’s a very good possibility that it's either misplaced or not yet found and the (authorities) are not looking in the proper places for it," Halperin told USA TODAY.

He finds it impossible to believe that Prince, "this man who was the most business-savvy, sharpest knife in the drawer when comes to the music industry," could have failed to draw up a will stating how he wanted his estate to be disbursed upon his death.

"There is no way he could have forgotten this or left it to chance," says Halperin, who met Prince several times. He's also the best-selling author of books (and films) about Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and her daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, and his latest, Kardashian Dynasty.

"My sources never said they know where it is, but they know there’s a will because he talked about it," Halperin said. "They think it’s in Canada because he did a lot business there, he really put down roots in Canada and he was involved in a relationship with a Canadian woman."

Prince's second wife, Manuela Testolini, was born in Toronto, and about 15 years ago he settled for a while in the city's tony Bridle Path neighborhood. According toHuffington Post Canada, he was spotted at local clubs and a Toronto Raptors game, and one of his last shows was at the Sony Centre there in March.

Halperin declined to identify the Canadian woman Prince was courting just before his death, and declined to identify who's been talking to his camera about a possible Prince will. After his sudden death, of still undetermined causes, Prince's sister Tyka Nelson, declared she knew of no will and petitioned for a special administrator to oversee his multi-million dollar estate.

The matter is now in probate court in Minnesota where the administrator, the Bremer Trust, is supposed to be searching for a will, organizing his assets, such as real estate, cash and his music, and determining who among those claiming to be his heirs are in fact eligible to inherit.

If there is a will, why hasn't someone — such as his lawyer — produced it to the court in Carver County, Minn.? Halperin says it may be some of Prince's relatives benefit from the absence of a will because Prince never intended to leave them anything.

"If it's produced, certain people who thought they were entitled would not be entitled," Halperin says. "The motive (for concealing) is that he would have left a good bulk of his estate to the Jehovah's Witnesses (Prince was a member) because that's what he talked about. The people I've interviewed for the film said that he talked about leaving it to (the Witnesses) and to charity, and he never mentioned his family."

If a will written and stored in Canada were produced and authenticated, it will almost certainly be valid in the USA, he said. "Legally a will is a will...and Canada is not a Third-World country."

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2016/05/11/author-filmmaker-launches-quest-find-princes-north-border/84252568/