http://m.etonline.com/new...ies_grief/

EXCLUSIVE: Prince's Half-Brother Alfred Jackson Shares Childhood Memories, Grief: 'He Was Everything in the World to Me'

by Antoinette Bueno 3:05PM EDT, April 28, 2016


Prince's older half-sibling, Alfred Jackson, is mourning the devastating loss of the legendary musician.

ET's Nischelle Turner sat down with Jackson on Thursday in Minnesota, where he talked candidly about his brother's death. Jackson and Prince share the same mother, Mattie Shaw.

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"I miss my brother, because my brother was everything in the world to me," a clearly emotional Jackson tells ET exclusively. "God bless Prince, God bless the world. He's a legend, he really is."

WATCH: Prince's Heirs: Meet the Late Singer's Family Members

Jackson, who joined the Air Force when he was 21 years old and now resides in St. Cloud, Minnesota, says he hadn't spoken to Prince in 15 years.

"He was so busy on the road because he had so many engagements with his music," Jackson says. "So, he had to travel, all around the world. I always saw him on television, read the magazines, and said, 'There's my brother, Prince.' I was so happy he was making it for himself, I really was."

He and his mother would visit Prince at his Paisley Park estate, where the icon would spend most of his time.

"My mother liked looking at his records on the wall -- she wishes she had that many herself," Jackson jokes.

When it comes to childhood memories of Prince, he notes that the "Purple Rain" singer was incredibly gifted from an early age. In the memoir Possessed, written by Prince's former drummer, Charles Smith, Jackson was said to have influenced Prince's music when he was developing his sound at an early age. Jackson recalls to ET playing the piano in their mother's basement, and Prince being able to copy everything he did, only "faster" and "better."

"He was a genius," Jackson says. "Wherever he heard music, he could copy it just like that -- like he had a photographic memory or something."

Jackson also recalls Prince's fondness for singer James Brown.

"When he was younger, my father and mother would put him on stage, and he was dancing on stage and you should have seen him out there -- he wasn't but five years old," Jackson remembers. "He would just copy him and do everything James Brown was doing."

One memory that stands out is Prince's well-known love of basketball.

"I think he wanted to be taller because he wanted to be a basketball player," Jackson smiles, referring to Prince's 5'2" height. "We'd talk about basketball ... this was when we were kids. I took him downstairs in the basement, you know, I said, 'Prince, let's play basketball.' So we brought up all the paper in the house and put the trash can over there in the corner and threw paper into the basket ... After I did him in that way, he went to school ... and they kind of did him a favor because he was the smallest on the team. He did better than some of the rest of them."

Jackson has been named as one of Prince's potential heirs in court documents the singer's sister, Tyka Nelson, filed in Minnesota on Tuesday asking for a special administrator of Prince's estate since he didn't leave a will. On Wednesday, the court appointed Bremer Trust, National Association to oversee Prince's estate.

Other potential heirs of Prince's estimated $300 million fortune include Prince's four other half-siblings: John Nelson, Norrine Nelson, Sharon Nelson, and Omarr Baker. According to Minnesota state code, Prince's estate will be divided among his siblings, since he didn't leave behind a living spouse, children, parents, or grandparents.

Jackson's lawyer, Frank Wheaton, tells ET that he and his client are going to a meeting on Thursday to discuss how Prince's estate will be handled.

"We are about to head into a meeting with all the beneficiaries and the heirs -- that very subject will be discussed shortly ... how everything will be played out ... how the heirs will be treated," Wheaton says.

WATCH: Judge Determines Prince Did Not Have a Will, Appoints Special Administrator to Handle Estate

Watch the video below for more on Prince's massive fortune.

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Dal Samrai
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Wow! Alfred!

that's a whole lotta half siblings...no wonder we never knew anything about them. They're older and it's too many of em...damn. I'm hoping Tyka gets the most of his estate since she's his full sister.

"Possessed" was written by Alex Hahn. I wish people would get the facts straight

lameless said:

exactly

PeteSilas said:

well damn

PeteSilas said:

I don't know if it was just in Hahn's book, I heard about that many yrs back. Always wondered what happened 2 him.

dalboy2 said:

"We are about to head into a meeting with all the beneficiaries and the heirs -- that very subject will be discussed shortly ... how everything will be played out ... how the heirs will be treated,"

I hope a bigger concern is how they treat Prince's legacy versus "how the heirs will be treated." We can hope, right?

PeteSilas said:

Ex-wives are just that "ex" that can throw hats all they want to they aren't going to get anything. Unless one of the siblings want to give them something.

nursev said:

lameless said:

15 years, though? My condolences, still, but...

exactly

Distant cousins will be next. This is so sad. This guy had nothing to do with Prince in the present.

Astasheiks said:

Priscilla took over Elvis's estate of course they had a living child

nursev said:

She won't. Under Minnesota law, all siblings - full or half - are treated equally.

bonatoc said:

LMAO...my wife said almost the exact same thing...too funny...that said, its so cool to finally see the legendary Alfred Jackson....i just wish it could have been under different circumstances
[Edited 4/29/16 6:17am]

PeteSilas said:

Hahn's book said he was schizophrenic and institutionalized correct?

Yes. It has been written that he's a mentally ill Vietnam vet who has been institutionalized for most of his adult life.

I wish people would think about that before they start dragging people they don't know a damn thing about.

FFS, which family member/friend is next on the org hit list?

babynoz said:

PeteSilas said:

Hahn's book said he was schizophrenic and institutionalized correct?

Yes. It has been written that he's a mentally ill Vietnam vet who has been institutionalized for most of his adult life.

I wish people would think about that before they start dragging people they don't know a damn thing about.

FFS, which family member/friend is next on the org hit list?

Exactly,leave this one alone.This man fought for our country.Not sure myself but,someone said something about agent orange.And i hate when people say half brother like he was nothing.Him tyka and prince have the same mom.

Astasheiks said:

Ex-wives are just that "ex" that can throw hats all they want to they aren't going to get anything. Unless one of the siblings want to give them something.

PeteSilas said:

Priscilla took over Elvis's estate of course they had a living child

It wasn't specifically (legally) due to the living child either. Priscilla was excluded from the estate. Elvis' father Vernon was named as executor. After Elvis died, Priscilla convinced Elvis' father to add her as an executor in his own (Vernon's) will. That's how she became included, because Vernon died. His will passed his executorship onto Priscilla and two other trustees (who have remained largely quiet just as the Bremer Bank people will remain largely quiet).

Clearly Alfred's not been well (and still not all there). Tyka has had her problems too, and we've not heard her speak...

.

A little bit worrying isn't it!

destinyc1 said:

Ugh, I was not picking on him. Never heard anything about man, all I heard was that he was institution alized

PeteSilas said:

destinyc1 said:

Exactly,leave this one alone.This man fought for our country.Not sure myself but,someone said something about agent orange.And i hate when people say half brother like he was nothing.Him tyka and prince have the same mom.

Ugh, I was not picking on him. Never heard anything about man, all I heard was that he was institution alized

Not you....I was agreeing with you.

People are dragging him for not being around for fifteen years.

It sounded like their mom tried to keep family together, but don't forget he had made everyone jump thru hoops to get time with him, and people may have kept family at arms length. Then again there were people who got P on the intercom and came in...