AUGUSTA, United States (AFP) - "King of Pop" Michael Jackson headlined a throng of fans, friends and family who paid tribute to the late "Godfather of Soul," James Brown, who lay in an open casket.

At a memorial service here Saturday, thousands of people filed silently past the white-lined casket set among huge wreaths at the center of the James Brown Arena.

"Now, here today at last, the man and his music have been validated," said Reverend Cal Murrell, who is known as "the happy preacher."

Fans of the musical giant applauded as African-American rights activists Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Dick Gregory ascended the short flight of stairs to view the body during what was dubbed a "homecoming celebration."

"Yes, he was an amazing entertainer, but he was also an amazingly influential black activist," said Lee Sullivan, an Atlanta poet.

The mood was somber and reverent as relatives and close friends of the soul icon filed past the casket, but it turned electric as the powerful voice of the "hardest working man in show business" filled the arena during a video tribute featuring some of Brown's stage performances.

Michael Jackson, one of Brown's countless musical heirs, dressed in a dark brown leather coat and black sunglasses, greeted Brown's family and bade farewell to Brown at his casket.

"He was a mighty powerful man," said Donna McCloud, a 30-year-old chemical engineer who flew in from Kingston, Jamaica to pay her respects to the famed soulman.

"His influence is felt throughout the world," she said.

Brown, who shaped American rhythm-and-blues, funk and disco genres for a half-century and was a charter inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, died of complications from pneumonia in the state capital, Atlanta, on Christmas Day. He was 73.

Born in the small South Carolina town of Barnwell in 1933, Brown moved at the age of four to Augusta, where he grew up in a brothel run by his aunt.

Saturday's event was the final tribute for Brown, who was honored on Thursday at the famed Apollo Theater in New York's Harlem neighborhood, and at a private ceremony that relatives held in Augusta on Friday.

The James Brown Arena, which seats more than 8,000 people, was packed to capacity, and fans lined up for hours to get a final glimpse of the man who for five decades electrified audiences with his husky voice, flashy footwork and tight rhythms.

Crowds who could not gain access to the arena milled outside, holding photographs and recordings of the music star, some singing his hit tunes.

For the past few days, mournful and adoring fans had flocked to the city's statue of Brown, leaving flowers, records and messages at its feet.

The bronze statue depicting Brown, microphone in hand and shrouded in an American flag, stands in a square named after the famous singer.

Augusta recently adopted "We Feel Good" as its city motto -- a play on Brown's 1965 hit "I Got You (I Feel Good)."



Posted by:

Paul

Source: Yahoo