Morris Day Claims Prince’s Estate Is Blocking Him From Using ‘The Time’ Band Name

Morris Day, lead singer of the popular group The Time and a former bandmate of Prince, is upset with the late icon’s estate. Day has been in the music business for over four decades — is claiming that the “Purple Rain” singer’s Prince’s estate is forbidding him from using the name of the band Prince created in the early ’80s. “I’ve given 40 years of my life building up a name and legacy that Prince and I came up with. A name that while he was alive, he had no problem with me using,” Day, 64, wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday, Mar. 3. “I literally put my blood, sweat and tears into bringing value to that name.”

Prince and Day first met as teenagers and played together in Grand Central and The Time. He appeared alongside Prince with the group members in the films Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge. Prince died in 2016.

According to Day, Prince never took issue with him using the name Morris Day and The Time. He says he was booked several times over the years on tour and played gigs at Paisley Park using the name. The estate’s rule comes as a shock to Day who finds it ironic that now that Prince has passed, there’s a problem.

“However, now that Prince is no longer with us – suddenly, the people who control his multi million dollar estate, want to rewrite history by taking my name away from me, thus impacting how I feed my family,” Day wrote. “So as of now, per the Prince Estate, I can no longer use Morris Day & The Time in any capacity.”

Prince’ s estate rep tells PEOPLE Magazine that Day’s retelling of the story is “not entirely accurate.” “Given Prince’s longstanding history with Morris Day and what the Estate thought were amicable discussions, the Prince Estate was surprised and disappointed to see his recent post,” the statement reads in part. “The Estate is open to working proactively with Morris to resolve this matter.”

Prince kept the rights to the band’s name after leaving the group. Day reunited with the other members of the group in 2011. Per Minneapolis Star Tribune, Prince was in opposition of the group using the name. 

As a result, the album was released under the moniker Original 7ven. Day continued to perform under Morris Day and The Time regardless.