According to reports, James Brown's youngest son has not been included in his father's will. Five year old James Brown II, by Brown's widow (or not) Tomi Rae Hynie, is not listed in the document, which provides for the soul star's six other children.
Hynie herself, apparently married to Brown since 2001, is also left out of the will. Brown's lawyer, Buddy Dallas, according to earlier reports, claimed that Hynie is not his widow, describing her as an "estranged girlfriend" - this is due to confusion (well, I'm confused), possibly, over whether the union between she and Brown was ever legal, because of Hynie's earlier marriage which had never been properly annulled. Hynie claims that, ultimately, any irregularities were sorted out and that theirs was a legal union, and says that she and Brown were planning to renew their vows at the time of his death.
Presumably James II's omission from the will has something to do with all that; or it might have something to do with the fact that a lawyer for the Brown family has said that the Godfather Of Soul wanted to do a DNA test to confirm paternity.
Elsewhere in James Brown news, a man has been shot in Atlanta after becoming involved in a heated argument over how tall the soul singer was. They should have just asked me, I could have told them that he was 5'6". Anyway, one Dan Gulley Jr, 70, has been charged with assault for shooting one David Brooks Jr, 62, on Monday 8 Jan. Witnesses confirmed that the argument escalated far enough for Gulley to pull out his gun and shoot Brooks twice in the abdomen. Showing admirable fortitude, Brooks went to his car to get a gun in order to reciprocate on the matter, but missed. Brooks then went to the police, followed by Gulley, who confessed all. Gulley may still be in prison, Brooks may still be in hospital - his precise condition is unknown.