Calling all long-lost relatives of Prince! Ads placed in Louisiana are asking those who might be related to the late pop legend to identify themselves.
According to The Wrap, an ad recently appeared in Minden, Louisiana’s Minden Press-Herald newspaper that read, “Are you related to Prince?” The ad caused quite a splash in Cotton Valley, the small town near the Arkansas border where Prince’s father, John L. Nelson, grew up before relocating his family to Minnesota.
Another ad appeared in Minneapolis’ Star Tribune, close to where the “Purple Rain” crooner last lived at his Paisley Park compound in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The Wrap reports that almost 1,000 people from the area have responded to the ads, claiming to be related to the groundbreaking musician.
According to The Wrap, the ads were placed by Morse Genealogical Services, “a family-run business of genealogical investigators who will seek a finders fee for any long-list Prince relatives they discover.” The company’s president Ari Morse told the site that the amount of people claiming to be a part of Prince’s bloodline have been increasing by the hour.
The first paternity claim against Prince’s estate has been filed. On Friday, May 6, a judge granted the use of the singer’s blood to be used for DNA testing.
As Us Weekly previously reported, Prince was found unresponsive in an elevator at his home on Thursday, April 21. Officials told NBC News that he had painkillers in his possession at the time of his death. According to the Star Tribune, the seven-time Grammy winner allegedly had Percocet in his system. Though an autopsy was performed on Friday, April 22, results have not yet been released pending toxicology results.
Prince’s remains have since been cremated, and his family paid tribute to his memory during a private memorial service held on Saturday, April 23.
