A judge has authorised the release of a sample of Prince's blood so his DNA can be analysed in the event of a paternity claim.
The order was approved at the request of the special
administrator of Prince’s estate, Bremer Trust, to obtain the blood
sample from the Midwest Medical Examiner, which conducted the autopsy on
the singer's body.
Minnesota District Court Judge Kevin Eide said that parentage issues might arise as the probate case goes forward.
Prince was found dead at age 57 at his Minnesota home last month. He had one child with his first wife, Mayte Garcia, in 1996, but the boy died just days after being born.
The exact value of Prince's estate has not yet been disclosed but his music catalogue alone has been estimated at over $500m.
Administrators of his estate said earlier this week they still had not found a will.
In the absence of a will, six siblings or half-siblings of the star have been listed as his heirs in court documents.
Investigators are still trying to establish how Prince died,
but they are looking into whether prescription painkillers played a
role.
They want to interview a California doctor and his son about
a prescription drug the son may have given to Prince before he was
found dead.
Police in California say they want to know if Dr Howard
Kornfeld and son Andrew Kornfeld had a longer term medical relationship
with Prince.
They say neither is accused of wrong-doing.