Primary Wave Music and Prince Legacy, two companies with ties to Prince's estate, issued a statement Monday afternoon in response to reports of an unreleased documentary accusing the late musician of physical and emotional abuse.
“Those charged with carrying out Prince's wishes will honor his creativity and genius,” the statement read. “We are working to resolve issues surrounding the documentary so that his story can be told in a way that is factually correct and does not mischaracterize or sensationalize his life. We look forward to continuing to share Prince's gifts and celebrate his profound and lasting impact on the world.”
On Sunday, an extensive report from the New York Times Magazine revealed that an unreleased nine-hour documentary from OJ: Made in America Filmmaker Ezra Edelman featured interviews with dozens of Prince's former business associates, lovers, friends and associates, which included multiple allegations of physical and emotional abuse.
The article recounted a heated back-and-forth between the film's production team and Prince's estate in a battle over the release of the documentary. Per NYTthe project has been in development with Netflix for nearly five years.
The film reportedly includes an interview with Prince's former lover, Jill Jones, who recalls a night in which he repeatedly slapped and punched her in the face. Another past relationship, Susannah Melvoin, reportedly told the filmmakers that after she moved in with the musician, he monitored her phone calls, told her not to leave the house and tried to keep her apart from her sister. In another interview, his ex-wife Mayte Garcia reportedly recalled being left alone after she and Prince's child died.
Other interviews claim that the famous singer displayed a controlling nature and that he was abused as a child. Additional sources, however, also recall positive memories of the singer creating what Edelman described as one of the most difficult projects of his career.
“How can you tell the truth about someone who, when you talk to people, they all have different things to say?” he said.
In a statement to NYTsaid Netflix “this documentary has proven to be as complex as Prince himself. We've meticulously documented Prince's life and worked hard to support Ezra's series. But there are still major contractual issues with the estate that are delaying the release of the documentary.”
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
