Soul This article is more than 13 years oldJames Brown's body is not missing, says daughter
This article is more than 13 years oldJames Brown's daughter and a funeral director have denied claims that the Godfather of Soul's body has been removed from his cryptPut away your magnifying glasses and deerstalker caps: James Brown's body is not missing. Funeral home and family representatives have denied one of the most peculiar rumours of the week, which alleged the soul legend's cadaver had been stolen.
According to one of Brown's daughters, LaRhonda Pettit, the Godfather of Soul's body is "missing from its crypt". "I have no clue where it was taken," she told the Daily Mail, claiming the corpse was hidden to prevent an autopsy. Although officials said Brown died of congestive heart failure, Pettit insists the 2006 death was "suspicious".
"There's no truth to that," replied Charlie Reid, director of the funeral home that oversaw James Brown's memorial. The body remains where it was buried, Reid told the Augusta Chronicle, in a two-tier mausoleum owned by another of the singer's daughters, Deanna Brown Thomas. If the family planned to move it, they would require a permit, and they have not notified authorities of any problems. "It would have had to have gone through us," he said. The Aiken County sheriff's office also denied the report. "I would expect we would have knowledge of such a thing," an official told the Boston Herald.
Elif Crawford, spokeswoman for Deanna Brown Thomas, dismissed Pettit's claims as "false allegations". Deanna Brown Thomas sounded a little more bewildered. "[I] do not know where Ms Pettit would have received such information," she told the Village Voice.
LaRhonda Pettit is one of several children born to James Brown outside of his four marriages. She was not mentioned in the singer's will and received no part of his estate.
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