Godfather James Brown
The singer’s former business managers, Buddy Dallas and Alfred Bradley, had argued the auction should not move forward. They claimed the court should not have been able to appoint new trustees to handle Brown’s estate. The court-appointed trustees, Adele J. Pope and Robert L. Buchanan, want the auction to take place as planned. Mr. Dallas and Mr. Bradley are at war with the estate’s court-appointed trustees. Today, Mr. Brown’s children appeared on a Chicago radio station, WVON, with the Rev. Sharpton and said they raised the $2 million, but it was refused by the court-appointed trustees.
According to the court, the appointed trustees were necessary due to the tangled mess surrounding Mr. Brown’s estate. Mr. Brown, had multiple associates, partners, children, some with unproven paternity. His estate is also in a zigzag. Christie’s has scheduled the bidding for today, July 17.
Brown’s heirs, business managers, and the court appointed trustees have been battling since he died in 2006, and earlier this year a judge ordered the sale to pay legal bills and estate taxes. Last year, the trust handling James Brown’s estate owed more than $70,000 for his elaborate funeral and care of his body for nearly three months before it was laid to rest in March. "It was the children that ran up a funeral bill of over $150,000, not the trustees," Dallas said. "We’ve done our very best to do what we could to accommodate the creditors. There’s no great big pile of money or surplus of money just lying around."
Mr. Dallas and Mr. Bradley, the two former business managers, are seeking to oust the current trustees and be legally reinstated as trustees. They contend in court filings that the current trustees are mismanaging the estate, even though last November, a judge in South Carolina ousted them as trustees after finding that they had mismanaged the estate.
On Monday, South Carolina’s Court of Appeals ruled that Christie of New York can proceed with the auction of James Brown memorabilia with include hundreds of personal items.
Chocolatecity.cc/blog has obtained a copy of Jame Brown’s Will. The last will and testament of James Brown starts as follows: “I James Brown, also known as "The Godfather of Soul," a resident of Beech Island, County of Aiken and State of South Carolina….”
The second paragraph states: “I have six children: Deanna J. Brown Thomas, Yamma N. Brown, Vanisha Brown, Daryl J. Brown, and Terry Brown. These named children and any of their legitimate issue who shall also be lineage issue of mine shall be entire class that I acknowledge to be my heirs and issue. Except as otherwise provided in this Will and corresponding instruments. I have intentionally failed to provide for any other relatives or other persons, whether claiming , or to claim, to be an heir of mine or not. Such failure is intentional and not occasioned by accident or mistake.”
In item 1 of the Will, he leaves his six children "furniture, appliances, furnishings, pictures, silverware, china, glass, books, jewelry, wearing apparel, boats, automobiles, and other vehicles, and all policies of fire, burglary, property damage, and other insurance on or in connection with the use of this property." Mr. Brown also added that “if my issue do not agree to the division of the property among themselves, my Personal Representative shall make such division among them.”
The will, signed in 2000, does not make have any reference to the value of the estate. There is no mentioned of Ms. Tomi Rae Hynie, a singer who claims to be the widow of James Brown. She is the mother of James Joseph Brown II who was born after the will was signed. Ms. Hynie is expected to contest the will and could end up inheriting 1/3 of the estate.
James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, died of heart failure on Dec. 25, 2006. He was 76-year-old.
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