December 25, 2006
"Godfather of Soul" James Brown died at the age of 73 early Christmas morning 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia. The legendary singer was admitted to the hospital on Christmas Eve and hours later, he succumbed to severe pneumonia.
The singer leaves behind a long history of 50 years in the music industry selling over 500 million records. James Brown is survived by his fourth wife Tomi Rae, who gave him his sixth child. With Brown's sudden passing, it's now up to Eddie Murphy to pay homage as he portrays a James Brown-type character with Beyonce Knowles in the movie Dreamgirls.