James Brown, The Godfather Of Soul, has died aged 73. He had been admitted to Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia last night to be treated for pneumonia, but died this morning (25 December) at 6.45am (GMT) from heart failure.
Born in Southern Carolina in 1933, Brown had his first hit, Please Please Please in 1956, and went on to redefine the soul genre, notching up such classic hits as It’s A Man’s Man’s Man;s World, (Get Up I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine, I Got You (I Feel Good) and Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag. Earning the nicknames The Godfather Of Soul and The Hardest Working Man In Show Business, Brown reinvented himself in the late 60s, producing a brand of politically-charged funk, with the seminal Say It Loud, I’m Black And I’m Proud.
The 80s were difficult years for the singer, but he made the UK Top 10 with the single Living In America in 1985. However, he was arrested in 1988 for aggravated assault and failing to stop for police officers – at the time he was high on PCP and brandished a shotgun. Brown received six years for the crimes, but was released on parole in February 1991. He was arrested again several times in the last decade for alleged domestic abuse and possession of drugs.
Despite these setbacks, Brown continued to be a hard-working live performer, appearing at Glastonbury in 2004 and the BBC Electric Proms this October. His last public appearance was to be inducted into the UK Music Hall Of Fame on 14 November.
A full obituary will appear in a future issue of Q magazine.
UPDATE: There will be a public funeral for James Brown on Saturday 30 December in Augusta, conducted by his friend the Reverend Al Sharpton. Before then, his body will lie in state at New York's Apollo Theatre, the scene of his legendary 1962 live album.
9:56 AM | 25/12/2006
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I seen a headline in one of the tabloids refering to James Browns passing.The headline was"BROWN BREAD" did anybody else find this a bit insensitive? cause i did.
Posted by jamie at 6:31 PM | 29/12/2006 | Report Abuse
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