Farewell Tour to James Brown Ends With Hometown Memorial

At a gathering marked by joy more than sorrow, thousands of James Brown’s fans and friends filled an arena bearing his name Saturday for their final tribute to the homegrown singer known as the godfather of soul.

The farewell tour for Brown — loved in Augusta as much for his generosity and influence as for his music — wound down with an afternoon funeral, two days after a boisterous viewing in the famed Apollo Theater in New York.  

Michael Jackson was among the more than 8,500 fans who packed James Brown Arena, where Brown lay in front of the bandstand in his third outfit in three days — a black jacket and gloves, red shirt and sequined shoes.

As the service began shortly after 1 p.m., friends and relatives filed past the casket. The procession was followed by a video of Brown's last performance in Augusta and his final concert in London — where he performed a slow, soulful version of Ray Charles' "Georgia On My Mind."  

Jackson, whose arrival sparked a roar from the crowd, stood before the casket and shared a hug with the Rev. Al Sharpton just as Brown's latest backup band, the Soul Generals, started to play.  

Earlier, a cheer broke out in the arena as Danny Ray filed past. Ray, Brown's master of ceremonies for years, famously would drape a cape over Brown's shoulders in a routine in which the singer would pretend to be too exhausted to keep singing and begin shuffling offstage — only to throw the cape off and run back to the microphone.  

"He was Number One," Ray said. "But James doesn't want us to be sad. James was a happy person."  

Fans had started lining up in the rain before dawn. Many gathered on the streets outside to listen to the service over a public address system.

Brown died of heart failure on Christmas morning in Atlanta while hospitalized for treatment of pneumonia. He was 73.