A woman purporting to be the half-sister of late pop icon Prince has come forward to claim a share of his estate as the race to take home a part his considerable fortune intensifies.

The singer, who was found dead in an elevator at his Minneapolis home and recording studio complex on April 21, has no children or spouse to act as heirs and legal officials are continuing their search for a will.

There are already signs of bitter family infighting over Prince’s estate, with reports the singer’s only full sibling, younger sister Tyka Nelson, stormed out of a meeting with two of her half-siblings last week.

• Prince didn’t leave a will
• Prince addicted to prescription drugs: reports
• Prince had massive vault of unreleased songs

Minnesota Judge Kevin Eide, who heard a claim from Prince’s six known half-siblings, said he was not ready to give up on the possibility that a will existed.

“We are not finding that there’s no will, but that no will has yet been found,” he told the court.

Prince’s only child (with Mayte Garcia) died a week after birth in 1996. Photo: Getty

The exact value of Prince’s estate is not yet known, although his extensive music catalogue – spanning from 1978 to 2015 – has been valued at $A650 million.

In the absence of a will, Minnesota law dictates Prince’s possessions must go to his siblings – but even that stipulation now seems murky.

Darcell Gresham Johnston

On Monday, People reported it had obtained court documents submitted by a woman named Darcell Johnston, claiming to be Prince’s half-sister.

Johnston, who some of Prince’s other siblings have apparently only just learned of, has told the court she is an “interested party” and beneficiary of the will.

Entertainment site TMZ reported Johnston apparently shares a mother with Prince – a fact that under Minnesota law would deem her just as eligible as a full sibling.

With no will in sight and a new sister coming out of the woodwork, it’s fair to assume the fight for the music icon’s estate will be both long and arduous.

A complicated family life

Born to jazz musician parents in Minneapolis, Prince Rogers Nelson had only one full sibling, younger sister Tyka.

Prince’s parents separated when he was 10, with his parents going on to have another seven children between them – Prince’s half siblings.

And while Prince made a decision to shun drugs and alcohol later in life, his younger sister eventually fell into a spiral of cocaine addiction and prostitution.

After years of on-and-off homelessness and pawning her family’s possessions for drugs, the single mother got clean with the help of Prince and an expensive rehab stay.

Prince’s sister Tyka (left) is said to have dyed her hair purple in tribute to her late brother. Photo: Getty

Since then, the siblings’ relationship has been out of the public eye, with Nelson no longer selling her story to magazines.

Nonetheless, Nelson was quick to file an emergency petition for her late brother’s estate, and has reportedly expressed anger at the Minnesota law which deems half-siblings equally as eligible as full siblings.

Further complicating the situation are reports any living children of Prince’s two deceased half-siblings would also be equally eligible under Minnesota law.

Prince was just 57 when he was found dead at his Minnesota home on April 21.

The Raspberry Beret singer had been reportedly suffering “flu-like” symptoms during the weeks prior, and had been forced to cancel a number of shows.

Since his death, rumours have swirled about a possible prescription drug addiction – shocking many fans of the famously moderate drinker and Jehovah’s Witness.

News outlets have reported that the musician was found with opioids on him, and that further investigation into his prescriptions is being undertaken.

Prince was married and divorced twice during his life, first to his back-up singer Mayte Garcia in 1996, and then to Manuela Testolini in 2001.

Mayte and Prince had a child together in 1996 but he tragically died of Pfeiffer syndrome at one week old.