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Illinois Woman Claims To Be Prince's Half Sister

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Another twist in the story of Prince's estate. A source close to Prince's family says a woman from Illinois claims to be Prince's long lost half-sister. This news comes the same day as estate hearings began.

Prince, who died in late April, had no will according to his sister, and the future of his millions is playing out in court. On Monday his heirs agreed on who would handle the trust -- and to communicate amicably. Until Monday, six siblings were known.

The death of a star made it clear; millions feel connected to Prince Rogers Nelson. But by law, the ones closest are his siblings who showed up to a hearing for his estate. His full sister Tyka Nelson was first, then four of five half siblings also filed in to court.

One thing that's popped up: Prince's family says a woman in Illinois is claiming to also be a half sibling.

Kimberly Hanlon isn't on this case, but she is an estate attorney.

"It certainly is a possibility that more people will come out of the woodwork," she said.

"She's going to have to bring forward some evidence that she is related, otherwise anybody could come forward and say, 'Well, I'm a sibling, too.'"

Hanlon says the woman claiming to be a sister will have to prove by birth certificate or DNA that she is family, long-lost or not.

"It doesn't matter at all whether she had a relationship or not with Prince, what matters is if she is a relative," Hanlon said.

Between the latest claim and the possibility of unpublished music in a vault, the chaos surrounding this case will likely continue.

Hanlan says another reason this case will take a while: This is an estate that will likely be making money for a long time to come.

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