James Brown's family settles 15-year battle over the late singer's estate, attorney says
COLUMBIA, S.C. â The family of entertainer James Brown has reached a settlement ending a 15-year battle over the late singerâs estate, an attorney involved in the mediation said Friday.
David Black, an attorney representing Brownâs estate, confirmed to The Associated Press that the agreement was reached July 9. Details of the settlement were not disclosed.
Legal wrangling over the Godfather of Soulâs estate has been ongoing since his death at the age of 73 on Christmas Day 2006.
The performerâs death touched off years of bizarre headlines, beginning with Tomi Rae Hynie â a former partner who claimed to be Brownâs wife â being locked out of his 60-acre (24-hectare) estate while photographers captured her sobbing and shaking its iron gates, begging to be let in.
Brown was renowned for hundreds of iconic musical works including hits like âI Feel Goodâ and âA Manâs World,â and was known around the world for his flashy performances and dynamic stage presence. But years of drug problems and financial mismanagement caused his estate to dwindle.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
More:Was James Brown murdered? More than a dozen people want his death investigated
More than a dozen lawsuits were filed over the years by people trying to lay claim to the singerâs assets, which courts have estimated to be worth anything from $5 million to more than $100 million.
The fight over Brownâs estate even spilled over into what to do with his body. Family members fought over the remains for more than two months, leaving Brownâs body, still inside a gold casket, sitting in cold storage in a funeral home.
Brown was eventually buried in Beech Island, South Carolina, at the home of one of his daughters. The family wanted to turn the home into a shrine for Brown similar to Elvis Presleyâs Graceland, but that idea never got off the ground.
More:Atlanta prosecutor examining new evidence in James Brown's death for possible murder probe
Last year, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that Hynie had not been legally married to Brown and therefore did not have a right to his multimillion-dollar estate.
Justices also ordered a circuit court to âpromptly proceed with the probate of Brownâs estate in accordance with his estate plan,â which outlined creation of a trust that would use his music royalties to fund educational expenses for children in South Carolina and Georgia.
A 2009 settlement plan would have given nearly half of Brownâs estate to a charitable trust, a quarter to Hynie, and the rest to be split among his adult children. The state Supreme Court overturned that deal in 2013, writing that then-Attorney General Henry McMaster â now the stateâs governor â hadnât followed Brownâs expressed wishes for most of his money to go to charity, having instead selected a professional manager who took control of Brownâs assets from the estateâs trustees to settle debts.