December 25, 2006 11:44 a.m. EST
Julie Farby - All Headline News Staff Writer
Atlanta, GA (AHN)-After being hospitalized with pneumonia on Sunday, legendary singer James Brown died at an Atlanta hospital on Christmas morning. He was 73.
Brown, known as the "Godfather of Soul," was one of the pioneers of rock music over the last fifty years, with his distinct sound influencing generations of artists from Mick Jagger to David Bowie to Michael Jackson.
The South Carolina-born Brown fused rhythm & blues, rap, funk, disco and gospel sounds to usher in a whole new wave of music, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
Besides winning Grammy's in 1965 for such hits as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (best R&B recording) and for "Living In America" in 1987 (best R&B vocal performance, male), Brown also won a Grammy award for lifetime achievement in 1992.
Among Brown's many hit singles include such classics as "Out of Sight," "(Get Up I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine," "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "Say It Loud -I'm Black and I'm Proud," a revolutionary tune about black pride.
Celebrities, musicians, and politicians all mourned the passing of the one of the great musical icons of the 20th century.
Rev. Jesse Jackson, who has been a friend of Brown's since 1955, tells the AP, "He was dramatic to the end-dying on Christmas Day. Almost a dramatic, poetic moment. He'll be all over the news all over the world today. He would have it no other way."