Shame! Shame! Shame! Not the way to treat the Godfather of Soul

In case you didn’t know it, James Brown has yet to be buried. His body lay in a sealed gold casket in his Greenville, S.C. mansion. All of your condolences and the wonderful send-off to a better place for this great individual have been stalled by his six children and his longtime partner.

Over a month after his death, legal wrangling over Brown’s estate has prevented the singing icon from receiving a proper burial. And despite considerable precedents in cases like this (Elvis Presley wasn’t buried for 90 days because of legal issues; Ted Williams’s family feuded for months over whether to freeze or cremate his body), the man deserves to be buried immediately.

Regardless of the family’s or lawyers’ opinions about who deserves what, the Godfather of Soul deserves better treatment than he is getting. He is probably rolling over in his coffin knowing his loved ones are bitterly filing petitions, suing each other, and arguing over the rights of Brown and his estate. Although Brown is mainly to blame for not having his will in order before death, the family could resolve this situation privately and honorably, instead of making it a public and very distasteful spectacle.

Let’s start a campaign: “Bury James Brown.”

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