James Brown's possessions going to auction :: Music News :: Articles

At least the life-sized bronze statue of James Brown in Augusta, Ga. is still grinning on Broad Street. It and nearby James Brown Boulevard are now the least depressing stops to make for tourists who visit the late Godfather’s old Georgia/South Carolina stomping grounds.

Court-appointed trustees announced Wednesday that Brown’s possessions will be appraised and auctioned off to help pay taxes owed by his estate. The Associated Press reports that both his 60-acre Beech Island, S.C. home (which is on neither a beach nor an island, FYI), and actual music rights could be involved in the sale.

The AP notes the gritty details: “His will called for the items to be divided among the singer's six adult children. But Tomi Rae Hynie, who claims to be Brown's fourth wife and the mother of another of his children, has contested the will.

Hynie argues she is entitled to half the estate. The children also are contesting the will, which was signed 10 months before Brown's death. The trustees have asked Brown's children and Hynie to provide a list of items they don't want auctioned.” Brown died Dec. 25, 2006 of congestive heart failure.

Let us all turn our eyes and ears to this popular video of Brown and Pavarotti, who himself passed on last September.