James Brown's body has been moved to a secret location while his family continue to consider where he should be permanently laid to rest. Buddy Dallas, Brown's estate trustee and longtime counsel, confirmed that the late singer's body had been moved from the climate controlled room at the star's Beech Island home in Augusta where it has lay since the various memorial events that followed his death - however there was no word on where it had gone. Word has it Brown has not been buried yet because his family are considering building a mausoleum in the grounds of the Beech Island estate, which would then be turned into a visitor attraction akin to Gracelands - in fact Brown's family are reportedly talking to the Presley estate about how they went about creating the ultimate Elvis tribute.
Elsewhere in James Brown news, there is growing contention in Augusta over the future of the James Brown Arena, named in his honour last year, and host of that celeb filled memorial event that followed his death at Christmas. There has been talk for some time about restoration work on the venue (which was built in 1979), but city officials currently seem to favour demolishing the current arena and building a brand new facility. Although the new venue would keep James Brown's name, some of the late singer's fans are saying the current arena should stay as is, in memory of the aforementioned memorial event. Which seems a bit excessive to me, but such is the way with dedicated fans. If I was a venue owner, I'd think carefully before naming my building in an iconic artist's name, so as to not become subject to the opinions of obsessive fans.