Items owned by the late Godfather of Soul will be appraised and offered to the public at auction, in part as a way to cover taxes owed by his estate, court appointed trustees told the Associated Press Wednesday.
Attorney Adele Pope would not disclose the nature of James Brown’s possessions to be auctioned, or their estimated worth. She also refused to say after a hearing how much the estate owed.
Following Brown’s Dec. 25, 2006, death in Atlanta, his estate has been the source of constant legal bickering between the entertainer’s six adult children; Tomi Rae Hynie, who claims to be Brown’s fourth wife and the mother of another of his children; and one woman who has proven through DNA testing that she is Brown’s biological child.
The trustees have asked Brown’s children and Hynie to provide a list of items they don’t want auctioned. An attorney for Hynie, a former backup singer for Brown, said some automobiles were given to her and shouldn’t be auctioned.
Information from the Associated Press Contributed to this report.
