The singer offered Manuela Testolini $10,000 a month in spousal support as well as assets like homes and cars after their divorce.
Society makes it hard for people, especially men, to speak about their weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and mental health issues. Coupled with fame, it can become a toxic cocktail, and often, it's too late before anyone realizes that they needed help.
Prince, who was suffering from opioid addiction, was only 57 when he passed away from an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2016. His family sued his doctor, Dr. Michael Schulenberg, for playing a "substantial part" in the star's death, according to BBC. "He failed to appropriately evaluate, diagnose, treat and counsel Prince for his recognizable opioid addiction, and further failed to take appropriate and reasonable steps to prevent the foreseeably fatal result of that addiction," the lawsuit read. "These departures from the standard of acceptable medical practice had a substantial part in bringing about Prince's death."
After his death, many details about this private celebrity came to light. The documents from his second divorce were unsealed and it showed that the singer and his ex-wife, Manuela Testolini, had disputes over photos, videos, and jewelry, according to Star Tribune.
The couple met when Testolini was working as a consultant for Prince's charity foundation, Love 4 One Another, according to the documents. They tied the knot on Christmas in 2001 when she was 25 years old and he was 43. Testolini claimed they lived "an extravagant lifestyle" and each of them had a personal assistant. They also had a housekeeper and a personal chef.
The charity worker "routinely had massages, spa treatments, manicures, pedicures, and facials." The pair also traveled frequently, rented homes for months in California and Hawaii, flew in private planes, and spent up to $15,000 per night on hotel suites.
The documents also revealed details of grand parties the pair threw after major award shows like the Golden Globes, Oscars, and Grammys. Testolini used to hire a $5,000-a-day stylist to do her hair and makeup for those events. The couple spent up to $50,000 per party on food, drinks, and decor, the records showed. "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.
However, in May 2005, the When Doves Cry singer, who was first married to Mayte Garcia, locked Testolini out of their house on Galpin Avenue in Chanhassen, Minnesota. He blocked her credit cards, packed up her things, and stored them in a vault in Paisley Park for "safekeeping," according to an order signed by former Judge Tanja Manrique on March 16, 2010. Then, the star proceeded to tear down their home.
Testolini wanted to keep the divorce documents sealed, however the Star Tribune asked for them to be unsealed following his death. The couple was granted a divorce in October 2007. However, in 2009, Testolini claimed that he had not returned many of her personal items, including copies of videos he made based on songs (Gamillah and Another Girl) he had written for her. He also didn't give back her jewelry, 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. He failed to return photographs, memorabilia, and scrapbooks. The personal items were valued at $185,000.
She claimed that he said that he had deleted the videos and didn't know where her personal items were. She responded saying he never destroyed every copy of a video and that if he did, "his actions were purely punitive."
Testolini had sought more than $42,000 a month in temporary spousal support, according to CBS. Prince, who was representing himself back then, said "this is my normal life" and "no amount of money can re-create the access to the events and personalities she now apparently seeks to replicate with a monetary award."
The Purple Rain singer offered her $10,000 a month in spousal support as well as assets like homes and cars. Her statement also revealed that the couple had sought guidance from elders in their Jehovah’s Witness faith when they started having marriage troubles in April 2005. The reason for their divorce remains unknown.
References:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45307000
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2017/01/13/prince-divorce-documents/
