The funeral of The Godfather Of Soul, James Brown, took place on Saturday 30 December, following his death on Christmas Day from heart failure, aged 73. Thousands of fans, friends and celebrities flocked to the venue to pay their respects to the hugely influential singer as he lay in an open golden coffin at the James Brown Arena in Augusta. Brown's band, The Soul Generals, played a selection of his songs and the main eulogy was conducted by Brown’s friend the Reverend Al Sharpton, who managed the singer in the 1970s.

Michael Jackson attended the funeral and told the attendees, "Ever since I was a small child, my mother would wake me no matter what time it was, if I was sleeping, no matter what I was doing, to watch the television to see the master at work. When I saw him move, I was mesmerised. I had never seen a performer perform like James Brown, and right then and there I knew that that was exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life because of James Brown."

The Hardest Working Man In Show Business had lain in state at New York’s Apollo Theatre as thousands of fans came to pay their respects. A private service for family and friends was held in South Carolina on Friday (29 December), which was attended by MC Hammer, comedian and black rights activist Dick Gregory and boxing promoter Don King.

"It's mindboggling to think about his impact on the world of music. But I think his legacy of giving in Augusta will continue to be giving for years to come," Augusta's mayor, Deke Copenhaver told Associated Press. "He never forgot where he came from and he loved the city unconditionally."

Brown was to have appeared tonight (31 December) at B.B. King’s Blues Club in New York, but the spot will now be filled by Chaka Khan.

In 2004, Q4music.com interviewed James Brown just before he was about to perform on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. To watch the video - introduced by his agent "Super" Frank Copsidas, CLICK HERE.