Minneapolis: Prince's unsealed divorce file has revealed the singer's lavish lifestyle, in which he and his ex-wife would regularly spend $US50,000 on a party and $US15,000 on a hotel suite.
Prince and his second wife, Manuela Testolini, threw huge parties after major awards shows like the Golden Globes, Oscars and the Grammys, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
More Entertainment News Videos
Prince died of opiod overdose
Tests show the music superstar died of an opiod overdose, says an annoymous law enforcement official.
For the events, Testolini said she would hire a $US5000-a-day ($6600) stylist to do her hair and makeup. The couple would spend $US50,000 ($66,662) per party on food, drinks and decor, the records showed. In 2004 alone, Prince earned $US42 million ($56 million).
"We had accounts at boutiques including Gucci, Versace and Valentino. We had accounts at Saks. There was never any restriction on (Prince's) or my spending," she said.
![Prince arrives with his then wife Manuela Testolini for the 2005 Academy Awards in Los Angeles.](/web/20170115041644im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/c/c/q/i/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtrf6r.png/1484412431432.jpg)
Divorce files are generally public, though judges often will agree to seal them if both parties to the case agree and no one else objects. The documents were made public after an application by the Minneapolis Star Tribune following the star's accidental death in April from the painkiller fentanyl.
The newspaper moved to unseal the files after questioning whether they would shed light on why Prince was taking painkillers, any potential heirs, or the value of his estate at the time of the divorce. The files didn't provide any insight into those issues.
Prince and Testolini, who was the musician's second wife, met when she was a consultant for his charity, Love 4 One Another, according to the documents. They married on Christmas Day in 2001 when she was 25 and he was 43.
She said they lived "an extravagant lifestyle" with each having their own personal assistant. They had a housekeeper and a personal chef preparing their dinners, the documents showed.
![Manuela Testolini, Prince's ex-wife.](/web/20170115041644im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/r/f/8/8/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtrf6r.png/1484412431432.jpg)
Testolini said she "routinely had massages, spa treatments, manicures, pedicures and facials." She and Prince travelled frequently, renting homes for months at a time in California and Hawaii, flew private planes and spent up to $US15,000 per night on hotel suites.
In 2004, Prince released his album Musicology, which sold more than 2 million copies in the United States. The Musicology tour was the top grossing US tour in 2004, bringing in $US87.4 million, she wrote.
![Crowds outside the sprawling Paisley Park residence as news of Prince's death spread.](/web/20170115041644im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/c/c/p/n/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtrf6r.png/1484412431432.jpg)
The documents also don't explain why Prince and Testolini divorced, although the couple did seek counselling from New York City-based elders of their shared Jehovah's Witness faith. She has since remarried and had children with another man.
The files also revealed that in May 2005, Prince locked Testolini out of their home on Galpin Avenue in Chanhassen. He also cut off her credit cards, boxed up her stuff and stowed it in the vault in Paisley Park for "safe keeping," according to an order signed by former Judge Tanja Manrique on March 16, 2010. Prince then tore down the house.
![Superstar Prince: 1957-2016 was cremated in his hometown of Minnesota.](/web/20170115041644im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/c/c/q/m/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtrf6r.png/1484412431432.jpg)
The couple's divorce was granted in October 2007, but two years later, Testolini claimed Prince had not returned several personal items, including copies of videos he made based on songs he had written for her: Gamillah and Another Girl. He also had not returned jewellery, including a gold and diamond earring set from Tiffany and an antique gold and amethyst earring, necklace, bracelet set from the vintage store The Way We Wore, as well as photographs, memorabilia and scrapbooks. In all, the items were valued at $US185,000.
At that time, Prince was representing himself and didn't respond to the court.
![Prince, pictured here in 1984.](/web/20170115041644im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/c/c/q/6/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtrf6r.png/1484412431432.jpg)
In her documents, Testolini said Prince claimed the videos had been deleted and he didn't know the whereabouts of the items. She disputed that, saying Prince never destroyed every copy of a video and that if he did, "his actions were purely punitive."
The unsealing of the divorce documents came amid the ongoing legal dispute over the legitimate heirs to Prince's vast fortune. The megastar, who was found dead in an elevator at Paisley Park, had no will.
Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide is overseeing the case. He has indicated that the surviving siblings, including Prince's sister Tyka Nelson and five half-siblings, will likely claim at least part of a fortune estimated at somewhere between $US100 million and $US300 million before taxes.
In recent months, Testolini fought the release of the divorce documents, claiming disclosure would put her and her family at risk.
![Prince: Intimate, intense and brilliant.](/web/20170115041644im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/e/q/x/6/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gtrf6r.png/1484412431432.jpg)
The documents do not show financial details of the final divorce settlement. At one point in the filings, Testolini said she was not seeking permanent monthly support.
She did, however, receive a house in Toronto worth approximately $US6 million and a Lexus automobile. During their split, she initially received $US10,000 a month in support. Prince also transferred $US3 million to an account, Gamillah Holdings Inc., which was opened with $US1 million in December 2002 and over which she had control.
In court filings, Prince rejected Testolini's claim that she needed $US42,574 a month, which she said amounted to no more than 2 per cent of his monthly earnings, to maintain a lifestyle that included attending the awards shows and hosting parties afterward.
"This is my normal life," Prince's response said. "By filing her (divorce) petition, (Testolini) severed her access to this lifestyle ... This is not a marital standard of living that can be recreated with money."
The documents also include a transcript of a deposition Prince gave in May 2008 where he was questioned by Testolini's lawyer. The portrait of the artist that emerges from the pages is similar to his public persona. He only grudgingly gives up insight or substantive answers. Many of his responses are some variation of, "I don't know" or "I don't recall."
Star Tribune