AceShowbiz - A British woman is reportedly set to take Van Morrison to court in a bid to determine if he's her father. Samantha Branch, whose late mum Dee was the singer's road manager, is allegedly demanding Morrison take a paternity test.

Dee is believed to have shared a London flat with the singer in the mid-1960s but she died in 1967 - just four months after Samantha was born - naming no father on the tot's birth certificate. But Samantha's relatives allege her mother claimed the "Brown Eyed Girl" hitmaker had fathered the child - and now the 42 year old wants to solve the mystery.

She explains, "Dee left her family and friends in no doubt who the father was, but I would like to know once (and) for all if he really is." Samantha previously tried to connect with the star in 1986 but their relationship ended a year later in 1987 when she asked him to take a DNA test.

She recalls, "He was polite but seemed a bit cold. He asked me what I knew about my mother, and a few questions about myself. He also asked me what I wanted from him. I told him I didn't want anything other than some recognition of who and what I was. He said he wasn't sure if I was his or not because he wondered about the timing of everything. All I ever wanted from him was recognition and to clear up whether or not he is actually my father."

The 64 year old has refused to address Samantha's allegations. A statement released on Saturday, January 16 reads: "My private life is exactly that - it is private. I have, in my long career, never spoken about it and I'm not about to start doing so now."