HOLLYWOOD - James Brown's grown-up children refused to be part of a TV tribute to the late soul legend on CNN show Larry King Live on Wednesday night when they discovered his widow would be taking part.
The family is disputing Tomi Rae Hynie was legally married to their father and that her five-year-old son, James Brown II, is their stepbrother.
They were scheduled to talk about their father's legacy on the talk show but pulled out when they discovered King would interview Hynie as part of the show.
Instead they sent family lawyer Debra Opri to represent them and respond to claims made by Hynie, who served up a copy of her December 2001 marriage certificate on the show, that she had been poorly treated at Brown's recent memorial service in Atlanta.
Hynie told King the family refused to let her play a part in her husband's funeral and she still wasn't sure if Brown's body had been buried.
And she claimed Rev. Al Sharpton, who presided over Brown's memorial on behalf of the family, was rude and mean to her.
She says, "Reverend Sharpton said... the whole family had a part in arranging this funeral and the whole family did not, because the whole family ignored me. They never called me... They never even asked if their little brother needed something to eat or a place to sleep."
Hynie reveals she took exception when Sharpton refused to refer to her as Brown's wife, but when she approached him, she was asked to leave the service.
She adds, "I walked off the stage. That's when they told me that there was no more funeral and that I was to go this way. And that's when the eulogies were held and I wasn't able to say anything about my husband."
But attorney Opri has another story: "I was at the side stage with Reverend Sharpton... and, at the side of that stage, Tomi Rae was attempting to grab a microphone so she could perform at her own companion's funeral. Tomi Rae embarrassed herself and embarrassed the fans and the family the way she conducted herself."
COPYRIGHT 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved.
Photo(s) by Adriana M. Barraza- © 2005- Hollywood Media Corp.- All Rights Reserved