Farewell to Brown ends in hometown

At a gathering marked by joy more than sorrow, thousands of James Brown’s fans and friends filled an arena bearing his name today for their final tribute to the homegrown singer known as the “Godfather of Soul”.

The farewell tour for Brown – beloved in Augusta, Georgia, as much for his generosity and influence as for his music – wound down with an afternoon funeral, two daysafter a boisterous viewing in the famed Apollo Theatre in New York.

Michael Jackson was among the more than 8,500 fans who packed James Brown Arena, where Brown lay in front of the bandstand in his third wardrobe change in three days – a black jacket and gloves, red shirt and sequinned shoes.

As the service began shortly after 1pm, friends and relatives filed past the casket. The procession was followed by a video of Brown’s last performance in Augusta and his final concert in London where he performed a slow, soulful version of Ray Charles’ “Georgia On My Mind.”

Jackson, whose arrival sparked a roar from the crowd, stood before the open casket, kissed Brown’s forehead and shared a hug with the Rev Al Sharpton just as Brown’s latest back-up band, the Soul Generals, started to play. MC Hammer later unsuccessfully tried to coax Jackson up to the stage to perform.

“We come to thank God for James Brown, because only God could have made a James Brown possible,” said Sharpton, a long-time Brown confidant who also spoke at the New York ceremony and a private service Friday. He invited Jackson to speak, adding Brown would have wanted the singer at the ceremony even though some might criticise his presence.

“James Brown is my greatest inspiration,” Jackson said, adding that when he was a child, his mother would wake him, no matter what time it was, whenever Brown was on television.

“When I saw him move, I was mesmerised,” Jackson said. ”I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life because of James Brown.”

Tomi Rae Hynie, Brown’s partner and the mother of his five-year-old son who was a backup singer with his band, dropped a flower into the casket after performing.