CAIRO: Legendary African-American singer James Brown died yesterday at Emory Crawford Long Hospital at the age of 73, suffering from pneumonia.
With a career spanning more than 50 years, Brown s pioneering of various musical genres including R&B, funk, disco, rap and soul influenced a multitude of different artists that ranged from Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Public Enemy and Michael Jackson.
Egyptian audiences will probably remember Brown for Lela, his famous duet with Egyptian folk singer Hakim four years ago.
The I Feel Good star was born in Barnwell, S.C., in 1933 to a poverty stricken household. He was abandoned at the age of four by his parents and ended up growing at the streets of Augusta, Georgia.
His first hit came in 1956 with the R&B hit Please, Please, Please. His success never waned by time although his record sales, since the mid-eighties, didn t reach the heights of the former decades.
Brown s personal life was marred by car theft, drug addiction, excessive drinking, illegal use of arms, hitting his third wife Adrienne and several imprisonments.
Most of fans though will remember him for his remarkable musical legacy and dance moves that drove the world into the state of frenzy every time he graced the stage or appeared on TV.
