Rocker Johnny Thunders' adult children are locked in a bitter battle over his estate.

The New York Dolls member passed away in 1991, at the age of 38, from a likely drug overdose.

At the time of his death, Thunders, real name John Genzale, only had $4,000 (Gbp2,600) to his name, but his sister, Mariann Bracken, who took control of the estate, managed to make several hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years through investments until her death in 2009, according to the New York Post.

During that time, each heir received a payment twice a year, but the payouts have since ceased.

Following Bracken's death, Thunders' daughter, Jamie Michelle Susanne Genzale, was named the administrator of the estate, but she was unable to pay the $75,000 (Gbp50,000) bond, which is required to oversee the payment.

As a result, none of the children have received a payment in four years and now his sons, Vito and Dino Genzale, are suing to bar her from gaining control of the remaining $160,000 (Gbp106,600).

According to Jamie's lawyer, the parties are working on a settlement, which would name Dino as a co-executor with Jamie.

They are due back in court in January (14) in New York.