At the end of his life, James Brown lived in a riverfront home in Beech Island, South Carolina, directly across the Savannah River from Augusta, Georgia. Brown was once diagnosed with prostate cancer, which was successfully treated with surgery. Regardless of his health, Brown maintained his reputation as the "hardest working man in show business" by keeping up with his grueling performance schedule. Read more...

Brown was married four times — Velma Warren (19 June 1953–1969, divorced), Deidre "Deedee" Jenkins (22 October 1970–10 January 1981, divorced), Adrienne Lois Rodriguez (born 9 March 1950) (1984–6 January 1996, wife's death) and Tomi Rae Hynie (December 2001–2006, his death). From these and other relationships, James Brown had five sons — Teddy Brown (1954-1973), Read more...

Brown's personal life was marred by several brushes with the law. At the age of 16, was arrested for theft and served 3 years in prison. In 1988, Brown was arrested following an alleged high-speed car chase on Interstate 20 along the Georgia-South Carolina state border. He was convicted of carrying an unlicensed pistol and assaulting a police officer, along with various drug-related and driving Read more...