Editing James Brown (section)

===Marriages and children===
Brown was married three times. His first marriage was to Velma Warren in 1953. They had one son together.<ref>{{Cite book|title=James Brown (African-American Biographies)|last=Fandel|first=Jennifer|year=2003 |publisher=Raintree |isbn=9780739870273|pages=[https://archive.org/details/jamesbrown0000fand/page/26 26] |url=https://archive.org/details/jamesbrown0000fand}}</ref> Over a decade later, the couple had separated. They divorced in 1969. They maintained a close friendship that lasted until Brown's death. Brown's second marriage was to Deidre "Deedee" Jenkins, on October 22, 1970. They had two daughters together. In 1974, they separated after what his daughter describes as years of domestic abuse.<ref>{{cite book |title=Cold Sweat: My Father James Brown and Me |publisher=Chicago Review Press |isbn=978-1883052850 |author1=Yamma Brown |author2=Robin Gaby Fisher |date=September 2014 |url=http://www.vulture.com/2014/09/james-brown-beat-wife-yamma-brown-memoir-cold-sweat.html |access-date=June 19, 2018 |archive-date=June 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619114549/http://www.vulture.com/2014/09/james-brown-beat-wife-yamma-brown-memoir-cold-sweat.html |url-status=live }}</ref> They divorced on January 10, 1981.{{sfn|Rhodes|2008|p=253}} 

His third marriage was to Adrienne Lois Rodriguez (March 9, 1950 – January 6, 1996) in 1984. It was a contentious marriage that made headlines due to [[Domestic violence|domestic abuse]] complaints.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=November 20, 1995 |title=Godfather of Soul James Brown Denies Wife's Domestic Abuse Charges |magazine=Jet|page=59 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UjsDAAAAMBAJ&q=james+brown+adrienne+october+1995}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=This is the Real James Brown |last=Hurst |first=Candice |publisher=Rosedog Pr |year=2017 |isbn=9781480975934 |pages=139}}</ref> Rodriguez filed for divorce in 1988, "citing years of cruelty treatment", but they reconciled.<ref name="reader">{{Cite book|last1=George|first1=Nelson|last2=Leeds|first2=Alan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ehSBVZUQpSIC&q=james+brown+adrienne+1988&pg=PA207|title=The James Brown Reader: Fifty Years of Writing About the Godfather of Soul|publisher=Penguin|year=2008|isbn=978-1-4406-3734-6|pages=205–207|access-date=October 26, 2020|archive-date=August 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813221904/https://books.google.com/books?id=ehSBVZUQpSIC&q=james+brown+adrienne+1988&pg=PA207|url-status=live}}</ref> Rodriguez died in 1996. Less than a year later, Brown hired [[Tomi Rae Hynie]] to be a background singer for his band. She later claimed that she was his fourth wife.<ref name="Rohter" />

On December 23, 2002, Brown, 69, and Hynie, 33, held a wedding ceremony that was officiated by the Rev. Larry Flyer. Following Brown's death, controversy surrounded the circumstances of the marriage. Brown's attorney, Albert "Buddy" Dallas, reported that the marriage was not valid. Hynie was still married to Javed Ahmed, a man from Bangladesh. Hynie claimed Ahmed married her to obtain residency through a [[United States Permanent Resident Card|Green Card]], and that the marriage was annulled, but the annulment did not occur until April 2004.<ref>{{cite web |last=Martin |first=J. |date=January 4, 2007 |title=Tomi Rae defends her relationship with James Brown |work=WRDW-TV News |place=Augusta, Georgia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130105120952/http://www.wrdw.com/news/headlines/5091311.html |archive-date=January 5, 2013 |url=http://www.wrdw.com/news/headlines/5091311.html |access-date=January 9, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gardner |first=L. |date=December 26, 2006 |title=Tomi Rae Hynie: 'It's a blatant lie' |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120919071135/http://www.wrdw.com/news/headlines/5018766.html |archive-date=September 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |work=WRDW-TV News |place=Augusta, Georgia |url=http://www.wrdw.com/news/headlines/5018766.html |access-date=January 8, 2007}}</ref> In an attempt to prove her marriage to Brown was valid, she provided a [[Marriage license#Marriage licenses in the Americas|marriage certificate]] as proof of her marriage to Brown during an interview on [[CNN]] with [[Larry King]], but she did not provide King with court records pointing to an annulment of her marriage to Brown or to Ahmed.<ref name=annulment>{{cite news |last=Anderson |first=V. |date=January 5, 2007 |title=Probate hearing may determine whether Hynie is James Brown's widow |url=http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2007/01/04/0105hynie.html |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |access-date= January 8, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127183015/http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2007/01/04/0105hynie.html |archive-date=January 27, 2012}}</ref> 

According to Dallas, Brown was angry and hurt that Hynie had concealed her prior marriage from him, and Brown moved to file for annulment from Hynie.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Singer James Brown files for annulment |magazine=Jet |volume=105 |issue=8 |page=18}}</ref> Dallas added that though Hynie's marriage to Ahmed was annulled after she married Brown, the Brown–Hynie marriage was not valid under South Carolina law because Brown and Hynie did not remarry after the annulment.<ref name=annulment/><ref>{{cite web |title=Brown widow: I've been locked out |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/26/james.brown.widow.ap/index.html |date=2006 |work=CNN Entertainment News |access-date=January 8, 2007 |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070122130618/http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/26/james.brown.widow.ap/index.html |archive-date=January 22, 2007}}</ref> In August 2003, Brown took out a full-page public notice in ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' featuring Hynie, James II and himself on vacation at [[Disney World]] to announce that he and Hynie were going their separate ways.<ref>{{cite web |title=Public announcement of annulment in ''Variety Magazine'' |url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/jabrown1.html |date=July 22, 2003 |work=The Smoking Gun |access-date=January 8, 2007 |archive-date=December 30, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230094754/http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/jabrown1.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Stritof |first=Sheri & Bob |url=http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/a/jamesbrown_3.htm |title=James Brown and Tomi Rae Hynie timeline: The puzzle of a complicated marriage relationship |website=About.com: Marriage |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070316074820/http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/a/jamesbrown_3.htm |archive-date=March 16, 2007 |access-date=January 14, 2007 }}</ref> 

On January 27, 2015, a judge ruled Hynie as Brown's legal widow and that she was now Brown's widow for the purpose of determining the distribution of Brown's estate.<ref name="Rohter"/><ref name="wrdw.com"/> The decision was based on the grounds that Hynie's previous marriage was invalid, and that James Brown had abandoned his efforts to annul his own marriage to Hynie.<ref name="wrdw.com">[http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/Judge-orders-release-of-emails-in-James-Brown-estate-lawsuit-289227041.html Court order states Tommie Rae Brown as James Brown's wife and legal surviving spouse] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402135146/http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/Judge-orders-release-of-emails-in-James-Brown-estate-lawsuit-289227041.html |date=April 2, 2015 }}", ''[[WRDW-TV]]'' (January 26, 2015).</ref> On June 17, 2020, a South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that Hynie was not legally married to Brown due to her failure to annul her previous marriage.<ref name="0:"/><ref name="USAToday"/><ref name="NYTimes"/> The court ruled that she had no right to any part of his estate.<ref name="0:">{{cite web |url=https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/2020/06/18/sc-supreme-court-tommie-rae-not-james-brownrsquos-wife/43093983/ |title=SC Supreme Court: Tommie Rae not James Brown's wife |date=June 18, 2020 |access-date=November 16, 2022 |archive-date=November 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116162312/https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/2020/06/18/sc-supreme-court-tommie-rae-not-james-brownrsquos-wife/43093983/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wjbf.com/news/sc-supreme-court-rules-tomi-rae-hynie-is-not-james-browns-wife/amp/ |title=SC Supreme Court rules Tomi Rae Hynie is not James Brown's wife |date=June 18, 2020 |access-date=November 16, 2022 |archive-date=November 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117005525/https://www.wjbf.com/news/sc-supreme-court-rules-tomi-rae-hynie-is-not-james-browns-wife/amp/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="USAToday">{{cite web |last=Kinnard |first=Meg |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/06/18/james-brown-partner-not-wife-court-rules-oks-dying-wish/3216240001/ |work=USA Today |title=South Carolina high court rules 'Godfather of Soul' James Brown's last partner not his wife, OKs his dying wish |date=June 18, 2020 |access-date=November 16, 2022 |archive-date=November 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117012919/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/06/18/james-brown-partner-not-wife-court-rules-oks-dying-wish/3216240001/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Kinnard |first=Meg |url=https://abcnews4.com/news/local/family-of-james-brown-settles-15-year-battle-over-his-estate-07-24-2021 |work=ABC News 4 |title=Family of James Brown settles 15-year battle over his estate |date=July 24, 2021 |access-date=November 17, 2022 |archive-date=November 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117192823/https://abcnews4.com/amp/news/local/family-of-james-brown-settles-15-year-battle-over-his-estate-07-24-2021 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NYTimes">{{cite web |last=Knopper |first=Steve |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/arts/music/james-brown-will.html |work=The New York Times |title=James Brown's Will: Is It Inching Toward Closure After 14 Years |date=July 15, 2021 |access-date=November 17, 2022 |archive-date=November 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117213122/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/arts/music/james-brown-will.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Brown had numerous children. He acknowledged 11 of them, including 5 sons—Teddy (1954–1973), Terry, Larry, Micheal Brown and James Joseph Brown Jr.—and 6 daughters: LaRhonda Petitt, Dr. Yamma Noyola Brown Lumar, Deanna Brown Thomas, Cinnamon Brown, Jeanette Bellinger and Venisha Brown (1964–2018).<ref>{{cite news |last=Goodman |first=Brenda |date=November 8, 2007 |url=http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/keeping-track-of-james-brown-and-the-big-payback/ |title=Keeping Track of James Brown and The Big Payback |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 31, 2009 |archive-date=October 7, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007192038/http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/keeping-track-of-james-brown-and-the-big-payback/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Brown had eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Brown's eldest son, Teddy, died in a car crash on June 14, 1973.<ref>{{cite web |last=Stritof |first=Sheri & Bob |url=http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/a/jamesbrown.htm |title=The marriages of James Brown |website=About.com: Marriage |access-date=January 8, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070101185005/http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/a/jamesbrown.htm |archive-date=January 1, 2007 }}</ref> 

According to an August 2007, article in the British newspaper ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', DNA tests indicate that Brown also fathered at least three extramarital children. The first one of them to be identified is LaRhonda Pettit (born 1962), a retired flight attendant and teacher who lives in Houston.<ref>{{cite news |last=Elsworth |first=C. |date=August 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014224327/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F08%2F22%2Fwbrown122.xml |archive-date=October 14, 2007 |url-status=dead |title=James Brown's secret children emerge |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F08%2F22%2Fwbrown122.xml |access-date=July 5, 2009}}</ref> Another alleged son, Michael Deon Brown, was born in September 1968 to Mary Florence Brown. Despite pleading no contest to a paternity suit brought against him in 1983, Brown never officially acknowledged Michael as his son.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Being the son of the "Godfather of Soul": Michael Brown, son of the late James Brown, begins to set the record straight |url=http://michaeldeonbrown.blogspot.com/2007/03/michael-brown-son-of-late-james-brown.html |access-date=November 16, 2022 |language=en |archive-date=November 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116021424/http://michaeldeonbrown.blogspot.com/2007/03/michael-brown-son-of-late-james-brown.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During contesting of Brown's will, another of the Brown family attorneys, [[Debra Opri]], revealed to Larry King that James Brown wanted a DNA test performed after his death to confirm the paternity of James Brown Jr. (born 2001)—not for Brown Jr.'s sake but for the sake of the other family members.<ref>{{cite news |title=Brown wanted paternity test |url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21026466-5006024,00.html |date=January 8, 2007 |work=The Herald Sun (Australia) |access-date=January 8, 2007 |archive-date=March 11, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311045740/http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21026466-5006024,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In April 2007, Hynie selected a [[guardian ad litem]] whom she wanted the court to appoint to represent her son, James Brown Jr., in the paternity proceedings.<ref>{{cite news |title=James Brown's partner selects guardian |date=April 4, 2007 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040400490.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=April 11, 2007 |archive-date=April 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424131424/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040400490.html |url-status=live }}</ref> James Brown Jr. was confirmed to be his biological son.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/legalentertainment/2018/10/15/james-brown-estate-twelve-years-after-his-death-controversy-remains/#168c647375d7 |first=Andrew |last=Smith |title=James Brown's Estate Is Still In Turmoil 12 Years After His Death |work=Forbes |date=October 15, 2018 |access-date=December 16, 2018 |archive-date=December 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216120744/https://www.forbes.com/sites/legalentertainment/2018/10/15/james-brown-estate-twelve-years-after-his-death-controversy-remains/#168c647375d7 |url-status=live }}</ref>