Brown estate to go to charity after partner’s claim denied

COLUMBIA, South Carolina — The Godfather of Soul’s dying wish to help educate needy children is a big step closer to being fulfilled, now that South Carolina’s Supreme Court has ruled that James Brown’s last partner was not legally married to him.

In a unanimous ruling, the state’s justices wrote that Tomi Rae Hynie, a former partner of Brown’s who claimed to be his wife, failed to annul a previous marriage, and did not have a right to his multimillion-dollar estate.

Brown’s union with Hynie has long been the centre of the evolving legal troubles following his death at the age of 73 on Christmas Day 2006. The performer’s death touched off years of bizarre headlines, beginning with Hynie being locked out of his 60-acre estate, while photographers captured her sobbing and shaking its iron gates, begging to be let in.

Brown was renowned for hundreds of iconic musical works including hits like I Feel Good and A Man’s World, and was known around the world for his flashy performances and dynamic stage presence.

But years of drug problems and financial mismanagement caused his estate to dwindle.

More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed over the years by people trying to lay claim to what’s left, which courts have estimated to be worth anything from $5 million to more than $100 million.

On Wednesday, the justices ruled that Hynie has no claims on the money, and ordered a circuit court to “promptly proceed with the probate of Brown’s estate in accordance with his estate plan.”

That plan, outlined in Brown’s will, was to create an “I Feel Good” trust that would use his music royalties to fund educational expenses for children in South Carolina and Georgia.

“The ongoing litigation since Brown’s passing has thwarted his expressed wish that his estate be used for educational purposes … a point we find both extraordinary and lamentable,” the court wrote.