Brown’s fans bid farewell in Ga.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — More than 8,500 fans of James Brown filled an arena bearing his name yesterday in a final, joyful farewell to the singer that seemed as fitting for a civil rights leader as for “The Godfather of Soul.”
Mourners returned to Brown’s hometown to pay tribute to the musician, who some fans also considered a political figure.
” ‘I’m black and I’m proud’ was the most influential black slogan of the 1960s,” said Maynard Eaton, a fan referring to the chorus of the Brown song, “Say It Loud.”
Brown’s body lay in front of the bandstand. Fans lined up in the rain before dawn to get a place at the funeral. When James Brown Arena was full, others gathered on the streets outside to listen to the service , amplified over a public address system.
The Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and a tearful Michael Jackson were among those who took turns at the podium overlooking the casket where Brown lay in a black jacket, red shirt, and sequined shoes.
Brown, 73, died of heart failure Dec. 25 in Atlanta. Jesse Jackson said yesterday that Brown had “upstaged Santa on Christmas.”
Michael Jackson bowed before the casket and shared a hug with Sharpton.
“James Brown is my greatest inspiration,” the pop star told mourners, adding that his mother would wake him, regardless of the hour, whenever Brown was on television. “I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life because of James Brown,” he said.© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.More:Globe Living/Arts stories