The Godfather Of Soul

"Godfather of Soul" James Brown performs during a concert at Yunfeng Theater in Shanghai, China on Feb. 22, 2006. The concert was Brown's first performance in Mainland China. Brown died in the early morning of Dec. 25, 2006, after being hospitalized for pneumonia.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, center right, embraces a man who thanked the reverend, after Sharpton served Christmas meals and remembered singer James Brown on Monday, Dec. 25, 2006, in New York, at the National Action Network, Sharpton's Harlem headquarters.

Holiday Help — AP/ Augusta Chronicle, AD Tucker

James Brown, left, gives a turkey to Billy Jackson, right, at the annual James Brown Turkey Giveaway, Monday, Nov. 21, 2005, in Augusta, Ga.
"I like to be paid because I put my my money back in young people and poor people. I'm like a Robin Hood and I thank God, 'cause that's a good feeling when you're doing things for the poor," Brown told the Toronto Sun in November.

Music legend James Brown arrives with his wife Tomi Rae Brown for the 47th Annual Grammy Awards in this Feb. 13, 2005 file photo in Los Angeles.

James Brown performs on stage during the Live 8 concert at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland, July 6, 2005. The concert coincided with the start of the G8 summit held at nearby Gleneagles.

Fans sign a poster of James Brown outside B.B. King's Blues Club and Grill in New York, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2006, after word spread that the legendary soul singer had died of heart failure from pneumonia on Christmas day. Brown told friends that he still wanted to perform at the club on New Year's Eve in spite of being ill and in the hospital, but Brown's heart gave out before he could make it there.

James Brown performs during a Java Jazz Festival concert to benefit tsunami victims in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 4, 2005.

James Brown's widow, Tomi Rae Brown, reacts after being denied access to the home she shared with the singer and the couple's 5-year-old son, Monday, Dec. 25, 2006, in Beech Island, S.C.

Usher and James Brown perform "Caught Up" at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 13, 2005, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame star of James Brown is covered with candles and flowers placed by fans of the "Godfather of Soul," in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 25, 2006.

Music legend James Brown arrives for the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, Feb. 13, 2005, in Los Angeles.

The "Godfather of Soul" James Brown performs with the "Queen Of Soul," Aretha Franklin, perform at the Taboo night club in Detroit Jan. 11, 1987, for a show which was taped for airing on HBO.

James Brown, his wife Tomi Rae Brown, and son, James Joseph Brown II, pose with Goofy, at Disney World, in Orlando, Fla., May 4, 2003. Brown had six children.

James Brown gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Jan. 10, 1997.

In a file photo James Brown belts out a song at the rock festival held at Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, New York on Aug. 12, 1972.

In a file photo James Brown is shown with his Award of Merit presented at the 19th Annual American Music Awards in Los Angeles, Jan. 27, 1992.

This is an undated file photo of James Brown performing in concert Feb. 12, 1974.

In a file photo singer James Brown, left, walks with his agent Rev. Al Sharpton from the White House in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 15, 1982. They met with President Reagan to advocate making Martin Luther King's birthday a national holiday.

In a file photo James Brown performs with his dancers during the "United We Stand: What More Can I Give?" benefit concert Oct. 21, 2001, at RFK Stadium in Washington.

In a file photo singer James Brown poses for photographs at the Kennedy Center on Dec. 7, 2003 in Washington. Brown was one of five performing arts legends who received the annual Kennedy Center Honors award at the event.