James Brown's widow barred from home

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Atlanta (dpa) - A day after the death of soul music icon James Brown, his wife was locked out of the home she shared with him, as his lawyer claimed she had not been legally married to the 73-year- old legend.

Tomi Rae Hynie, 36, married Brown in 2001 but according to Brown's lawyer she was married to another man at the time making her marriage to Brown null and void.

"This is my home. I don't have any money. I don't have anywhere to go," Tomi Rae Hynie told The Augusta Chronicle after a security guard stopped her at the gates to the home she shared with the singer and their 5-year-old son.

She told the paper that she spoke with Brown on the phone before he died. "The last thing he said to me was, 'I love you, baby, and I'll see you soon,'" she said.

Hynie was Brown's fourth wife. The soul legend had served jail time in 2004 after pleading guilty to committing domestic violence against her.

Brown's lawyer said Tuesday that the couple were not legally married and that she was locked out of his South Carolina home for estate legal reasons.

"It's not a reflection on her as an individual," lawyer Buddy Dallas said. "I have not even been in the house, nor will I until appropriate protocol is followed."

Brown died Monday morning in an Atlanta hospital where he was being treated for pneumonia. Dallas said Brown and Hynie had not seen each other for several weeks before his death. Hynie said she had been at a retreat when Brown passed away.

One of the founding fathers of soul and funk music, Brown was a seminal stylistic influence who laid the foundations for many modern genres including disco and hip-hop. Classic compositions included Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, It's a Man's Man's Man's World, and Get Up (I Feel Like Being Like A) Sex Machine.

Brown's prominence in American culture was evidence by the statement of mourning issued on Christmas Day by US President George W Bush.

"For half a century, the innovative talent of the Godfather of Soul enriched our culture and influenced generations of musicians," Bush said in a statement issued by the White House. "An American original, his fans came from all walks of life and backgrounds. James Brown's family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers this Christmas."