• A Minnesota judge has ruled that Prince's six siblings are the heirs to his estate, more than a year after the pop superstar died of a drug overdose. In a ruling made public Friday, Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide declared that Prince died without a will and that his heirs are his sister, Tyka Nelson, and five half-siblings: Sharon Nelson, Norrine Nelson, John R. Nelson, Omarr Baker and Alfred Jackson. Some appeals are still pending from people whose claims of heirship were rejected earlier. More than 45 people filed claims to be Prince's wife, children, siblings or other relatives after his death. Eide said if appellate courts send any rejected claimants back to him, he will consider them. Eide also said Prince's assets won't be distributed without a formal court order and that nothing will be distributed that might adversely affect the claims of those with pending appeals. Eide previously said he wouldn't declare the siblings as heirs until those appeals had been decided. But lawyers for Prince's siblings argued that further delays would increase costs to the estate and impede its efficient administration. Prince died April 21, 2016, of an accidental drug overdose. Court filings suggest that his estate is worth around $200 million. Federal and state estate taxes are expected to consume about half the value.
• The timeless allure of the funky Muscle Shoals sound worked its magic on Kiefer Sutherland, who was in Florence, Ala., for a gig at Singin' River Brewing Co. "If you're into something, like auto racing, you go to the Indy 500," Sutherland, star of several movies and of the long-running Fox series 24, said in the basement of Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. "If you're into music, this is an absolutely necessary destination." When the actor and musician, on tour with his band, realized that the legendary recording studio in Sheffield, Ala., was just 10 minutes away from the location of his show Thursday, he scheduled a quick recording session. Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section bassist David Hood, keyboardist Spooner Oldham, guitarist Will MacFarlane, and drummer Milton Sledge were on the session for Sutherland's song "Rebel Wind," which will appear on his next album. "I'll treasure this all my life," Sutherland said of the recording session. "There is a kind of sound that comes out of here that is really warm," he said. "There is a blend of what happens with the bass and drums, then the delicate keyboard comes in. It warms it up enough that even a driving rock-and-roll song can be more accessible for some listeners."
A Section on 05/20/2017