James Brown, The Godfather of Soul Brown died on Christmas Day, December 25th, 2006 at Atlanta’s Emory Crawford Long Hospital of congestive heart failure. He was 73.

Wikipedia reports that after Brown’s death his relatives and friends, a host of celebrities and thousands of fans attended public memorial services at the Apollo Theater in New York on December 28, 2006 and at the James Brown Arena on December 30, 2006 in Augusta, Georgia.

A separate, private memorial service was also held in North Augusta, South Carolina on December 29, 2006. which was attended by Brown’s family and close friends. Celebrities who attended Brown’s public and/or private memorial services included Joe Frazier, Dick Gregory, MC Hammer, Jesse Jackson, Michael Jackson, and Don King, among others. All of the public and private memorial services were officiated by Rev. Al Sharpton.

Brown’s public and private memorial ceremonies were elaborate, complete with costume changes for Brown and videos featuring him in concert performances. Brown’s body, which was placed in a gold casket, was driven through the streets of New York to the Apollo Theater in a white, glass-encased horse-drawn carriage. In Augusta, Georgia, the procession for Brown’s public memorial visited Brown’s statue as the procession made its way to the James Brown Arena. During the public memorial at the James Brown Arena, nachos and pretzels were served to mourners, as a video showed Brown’s last performance in Augusta, Georgia and the Ray Charles version of “Georgia On My Mind” played soulfully in the background. Brown’s last backup band, The Soul Generals, also played the music of Brown’s hits during the memorial service at the James Brown Arena. The group was joined by Bootsy Collins on bass, with MC Hammer performing a dance in James Brown style.

CNN Reports on James Brown’s Death
James Brown’s death and the aftermath