Brown’s Widow Locked Out of Home

James Brown ‘s lawyer said Tuesday that the late singer and his partner were not legally married and that she was locked out of his South Carolina home for estate legal reasons. Sure she was… you greedy bastards!

“It’s not a reflection on her as an individual,” lawyer Buddy Dallas told The Associated Press. “I have not even been in the house, nor will I until appropriate protocol is followed.”

Brown’s partner, backup singer Tomi Rae Hynie, was already married to a Texas man in 2001 when she married Brown, thus making her marriage to Brown null, Dallas said. He said Hynie later annulled the previous marriage, but she and Brown never remarried.

“I suppose it would mean she was, from time to time, a guest in Mr. Brown’s home,” Dallas said.

On Monday, after the 73-year-old “Godfather of Soul” died at an Atlanta hospital, Hynie, 36, found the gates to Brown’s Beech Island, S.C., home padlocked and said she was denied access.

Hynie argued that she has a legal right to live in the home with the couple’s 5-year-old son.

“This is my home,” Hynie told a reporter outside the house. “I don’t have any money. I don’t have anywhere to go.”

Dallas said legal formalities need to be followed now, adding that Brown’s estate was left in trust for his children. He declined to elaborate on Brown’s final instructions.

“It’s not intended and I hope not interpreted to be an act of unkindness or an act of a lack of sympathy,” Dallas said. “Ms. Hynie has a home a few blocks away from Mr. Brown’s home where she resides periodically when she is not with Mr. Brown. She is not without housing or home.”

Dallas said Brown and Hynie had not seen each other for several weeks before his death.

The couple had had a sometimes tumultuous relationship. Brown pleaded guilty in 2004 to a domestic violence charge stemming from an argument with Hynie and was let off with a $1,087 fine. He was accused of pushing Hynie to the floor at the home and threatening to kill her.

Hynie could not be reached Tuesday for further comment. A lawyer who has represented her in the past, Robert Rosen, was out of the country and could not be reached, according to a receptionist in his Charleston, S.C., office.

Hynie’s cell phone wasn’t accepting incoming messages Tuesday, but had an outgoing message that said in part, “James, if this is you, I’m in a meeting and I will call you back when I get out. Thank you so much for calling. Happy holidays.”

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James Brown, Godfather of Soul, Dies at 73

James Brown died early this morning. He was 73.

James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured “Godfather of Soul,” whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died early Monday, his agent said. He was 73.

Brown was hospitalized with pneumonia at Emory Crawford Long Hospital on Sunday and died around 1:45 a.m. Monday, said his agent, Frank Copsidas of Intrigue Music. Longtime friend Charles Bobbit was by his side, he said. Copsidas said the cause of death was uncertain. “We really don’t know at this point what he died of,” he said.

[...]

Along with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and a handful of others, Brown was one of the major musical influences of the past 50 years. At least one generation idolized him, and sometimes openly copied him. His rapid- footed dancing inspired Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson among others. Songs such as David Bowie’s “Fame,” Prince’s “Kiss,” George Clinton’s “Atomic Dog” and Sly and the Family Stone’s “Sing a Simple Song” were clearly based on Brown’s rhythms and vocal style.

If Brown’s claim to the invention of soul can be challenged by fans of Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, then his rights to the genres of rap, disco and funk are beyond question. He was to rhythm and dance music what Dylan was to lyrics: the unchallenged popular innovator.

“James presented obviously the best grooves,” rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy once told The Associated Press. “To this day, there has been no one near as funky. No one’s coming even close.”

His hit singles include such classics as “Out of Sight,” “(Get Up I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine,” “I Got You (I Feel Good)” and “Say It Out Loud _ I’m Black and I’m Proud,” a landmark 1968 statement of racial pride.

“I clearly remember we were calling ourselves colored, and after the song, we were calling ourselves black,” Brown said in a 2003 Associated Press interview. “The song showed even people to that day that lyrics and music and a song can change society.”

He won a Grammy award 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.) He was one of the initial artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, along with Presley, Chuck Berry and other founding fathers.

His personal life was much less stellar than his career. He left behind an impressive body of work, though.

OTB

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Larry Birkhead Takes Anna Nicole to Court

Yes, you read that right… the media whore, Larry Birkhead, is taking Anna Nicole Smith to court, in order to prove he’s the father of her baby. He claims he’s only doing it for the best interest of the child. Uh huh.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Steve Levesque, James Levesque
Luck Media & Marketing, Inc. (310) 860-9170
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ANNA NICOLE SMITH JUST SERVED COURT PAPERS IN THE BAHAMAS
* * *
LARRY BIRKHEAD, ESTRANGED BOYFRIEND AND FATHER OF
ANNA NICOLE SMITH’S CHILD, SEEKS RETURN OF CHILD TO CALIFORNIA
AND PATERNITY TESTS PERFORMED IMMEDIATELY
* * *
Attorney Debra Opri claims in pleadings for Birkhead that Anna Nicole Smith
Deliberately fled the State of California to cut off parental rights to his daughter

Well-known celebrity attorney Debra Opri has filed court papers on behalf of her client Larry Birkhead. The documents request the court order Anna Nicole Smith to submit to paternity testing immediately, the child returned to the State of California and that drug testing be conducted on mother and child. The documents also state that legal and physical custody be awarded to Birkhead pending the results of drug testing.

According to attorney Debra Opri:

Why is Larry Birkhead taking these steps?

1. He is a first time father and he is responding to allegations made by attorney Howard K. Stern on behalf of Anna Nicole Smith.
2. He seeks truth in paternity as he believes beyond any doubt that he is the father and seeks a presence in this child’s life.
3. He is concerned for the health and safety of the child based upon drug issues and manipulation by a third party for purposes contrary to the interests of the child

Why is Larry Birkhead taking these actions at this time?

He is responding to the “circus-like” atmosphere with Howard K. Stern as ring leader this past week wherein serious and false allegations that Stern is the father were made and many defamatory remarks about Mr. Birkhead needed to be addressed.

What is Larry Birkhead’s goal in this action?

To put to rest the issue of who is the father and what steps must be taken to protect this child.

Attorney Debra Opri heads up the law firm of Opri & Associates in Beverly Hills, California and is a frequent legal commentator on nationally televised news programs. Opri gained national attention when she successfully represented “The Godfather of Soul” James Brown in a sexual harassment suit back in 2003 and she recently represented Joseph and Katherine Jackson during the Michael Jackson criminal court proceedings in 2004-05.

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