James Brown dies age 73. 
He was admitted to hospital in Atlanta after being diagnosed with severe pneumonia, but died at 0145 local time (0645 GMT)
Brown was born in 1933 in South Carolina.
He joined a gospel group as a young man after his release from jail for trying to steal a car.
He had his first hit on the US rhythm and blues chart, Please Please Please, in 1956.
Brown had 94 hits on Billboard's mainstream Hot 100 in the US, according to his official website, and by the end of his career, he had a repertoire of 800 songs.
However, he achieved only one top 10 single in the UK - Living in America, from the soundtrack of Rocky IV, which reached number five in 1986.
The star was credited with spreading the popularity of funk around the world, influencing a new generation of black music which spawned rap and hip-hop.
Affectionally known as the Godfather of Soul...
R.I.P.