CNN’s Van Jones Vies To Oversee Prince Estate
Prince died without leaving a will, and his siblings, half-siblings, and numerous heirs have been squabbling over his estate ever since. According to an asset inventory compiled by Bremer Trust, as The Star Tribune reports, that estate includes a dozen Minnesota properties with an estimated total value of $25.4 million, $110,000 in four bank accounts, unclaimed property, and capital credits, $6 million in cash, and 67 10-ounce gold bars valued at around $840,000, so it makes sense that a lot of people are very interested in it.
Until now, the Minnesota-based Bremer Trust has been serving as Prince’s estate’s temporary administrator. But at the end of the month, according to MPR News, permanent management of the estate is being handed to Comerica, a financial services firm based in Dallas. That’s already been decided, but what hasn’t been decided is who else will represent his various heirs’ interests. Some want longtime Prince attorney L. Londell McMillan, but Prince’s sister Tyka Nelson and half-brother Omarr Baker want attorney, CNN commentator, and Prince friend Van Jones to do it.
During a hearing in Carver County court today, Jones discussed his relationship with Prince, saying they became friends after his program received a contribution from an anonymous donor in 2007, an anonymous donor who turned out to be Prince. “He would just call and check on me, give me assignments on the social side,” Jones said. “He had a genius for people, for human beings.” Jones also says that he helped Prince negotiate the deal that Prince signed with Warner Bros. in 2014 and that he ran philanthropic work for more than eight years. “I think I’m qualified to work on Prince’s estate because I understand the secret sauce.”
The judge didn’t rule immediately on who will represent the family, but I think it’s absolutely clear who really understands the secret sauce.