Saying goodbye to the Godfather of Soul

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.

His heart gave out a few hours later, on Christmas morning.

All Christmas Day, famous fans from Mick Jagger to Snoop Dogg to the Rev Al Sharpton shared memories of their mentor and idol, while fans streamed to his statue in his boyhood hometown of Augusta, piling mementos and flowers at its base.

‘‘Y’all lost the Godfather of Soul, but I lost my father. I know the whole world loved him just as much as we loved him, so we’re not mourning by ourselves,’’ Mr Brown’s daughter Venisha Brown told The Augusta Chronicle as she stood near the statue, fighting back tears.

The 73-year-old died of heart failure less than two days after he had been hospitalised with pneumonia and only three days after leading his annual holiday toy giveaway in Augusta.

The entertainer with the rough-edged voice and flashy footwork also had diabetes and prostate cancer that was in remission. But he initially seemed fine at the hospital and talked about his New Year’s Eve show at BB King Blues Club in New York, the star’s manager Frank Copsidas said.

‘‘Last night, he said ‘I’m going to be there. I’m the hardest working man in show business,’’ Mr Copsidas said Monday.

Mr Brown was himself to the end, at one point saying, ‘‘I’m going away tonight,’’ said friend Charles Bobbit, who was with Brown when he died. ‘‘I didn’t want to believe him,’’ he added.

One of the major musical influences of the past 50 years, Mr Brown was to rhythm and dance music what Bob Dylan was to lyrics.

His rapid dancing, hard-charging beats and heartfelt yet often unintelligible vocals changed the musical landscape.

‘‘He was a whirlwind of energy and precision, and he was always very generous and supportive to me in the early days of the Stones,’’ Jagger said. ‘‘His passing is a huge loss to music.’’

Mr Brown was one of the first artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and other founding fathers.

Mr Brown won a Grammy for lifetime achievement in 1992, as well as Grammys in 1965 for ‘‘Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag’’ (best R&B recording) and for ‘‘Living In America’’ in 1987 (best R&B vocal performance, male).

Mr Brown, who lived in South Carolina, also had a turbulent personal life that included charges of abusing drugs and alcohol.

After a widely publicised, drug-fueled confrontation with police in 1988 that ended in an interstate car chase, Brown spent 15 months in a South Carolina prison and 10 months in a work release programme.

Mr Brown was born in poverty in 1933, and abandoned as a four-year-old to the care of relatives and friends. He grew up in Augusta in an ‘‘ill-repute area,’’ as he once called it, learning how to hustle to survive.

Mr Brown is survived by his fourth wife, Tomi Rae Hynie, one of his backup singers, and at least four children — two daughters and sons Daryl and James Brown II, Copsidas said.