Was James Brown Murdered? Atlanta Prosecutors Consider Potential Reopening Of Investigation Based On New Evidence
Was The Godfather of Soul murdered?
Getty The death of James Brown in 2006 was, perhaps, not so shocking. After all, the troubled Godfather of Soul had spent many years struggling with drug addiction and a series of health ailments prior to his death. What's more, Brown was 73 years old when he passed away — which, while not excessively old by today's standards, was also not excessively young, either.
But thanks to a new claim brought forth by a woman, an Atlanta prosecutor has said that he plans to open an inquest into Brown's death. And, if new evidence can prove that he was, indeed, murdered, he will reopen the case and, if possible, bring charges against the offender.
So, was James Brown murdered? Let's look at what we know about these shocking new claims.
1. Was James Brown murdered? Jacque Hollander claims he was.
On February 13, 2020, the Fulton County District Attorney's office confirmed that Jacque Hollander met with District Attorney Paul Howard and gave him "a bin full of items." While it's unclear what the "items" entailed, a spokesperson for the District Attorney's office claimed that prosecutors are now under the directive to interview Hollander. What's more, if Hollander's evidence and testimony prove to be factual, the District Attorney claims he's happy to open a full death investigation and bring murder charges, if necessary.
2. Brown's official cause of death was congestive heart failure and "fluid on the lungs."
Brown died on Christmas Day 2006. At the time, the cause of death was ruled to be congestive heart failure and fluid on the lungs. He was only hospitalized for what physicians thought was pneumonia two days before his death.
3. But the coroner had questions.
Dr. Marvin Crawford, the doctor who signed off on Brown's death certificate, said that he always had a bit of doubt about the true circumstances about Brown's death. "He changed too fast,” he said. “He was a patient I would never have predicted would have coded. But he died that night, and I did raise that question: What went wrong in that room?” Why Crawford never brought his suspicions forward sooner, however, remains a mystery.
4. There are several conspiracy theories surrounding Brown's death.
There has been no shortage of theories surrounding the real story behind Brown's death. Aside from the obvious question — why was no autopsy performed on Brown's body? — the theories include, but are certainly not limited to, the following: there was "residue" in Brown's IV; the singer was shot to death; there was a second will that's currently hidden, and the benefactors don't want the world to know; the same people that allegedly murdered Brown's third wife, Adrienne, came back to "finish the job."
5. Suspicions surrounding the true cause of Brown's death go all the way back to 2018.
Conspiracy theories are not unusual when a celebrity passes away but in the case of Brown, people who knew him well claim that they've been "ringing the bell" about the true manner of his death since 2018. What's more, Hollander — who first met Brown when she was working as a circus performer when she was still barely a teenager — said that she tried to meet with the Atlanta prosecutor in 2018, but was "turned away."
6. So, what's next in the potential murder inquest?
As of this writing, the Fulton County District Attorney says they're reviewing all the evidence presented by Hollander to see what they will do next. And while they promise to open a full inquest, and bring charges if necessary, if Hollander's information and testimony proves accurate, it's unclear how long that will take, or if this investigation is even a priority at this moment.
We will, however, keep you posted with any updates and developments.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.