A public funeral service for “Godfather of Soul” James Brown at an 8,500-seat US arena bearing his name in his hometown of Augusta, Georgia, has been set for Saturday.

GODFATHER of Soul James Brown remained the hardest-working man in show business to the end, telling friends from his hospital bed that he’d be in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, even though he had pneumonia.

“Godfather of Soul” James Brown, who died in Atlanta early today at the age of 73, was one of the major musical influences of the past 50 years.