James Brown

James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul,” whose hard-driving rhythms and impassioned vocals put him at the forefront of several major developments in music during the last half-century, died early on Christmas Day in Atlanta. He was 73. Mr. Brown, who lived in Beech Island, S.C., was hospitalized with pneumonia at Emory Crawford Long Hospital on Sunday and died around 1:45 a.m. Monday, his agent, Frank Copsidas, said.

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