Thousands Of Fans Pay Respects To James Brown

Thousands of fans have paid their last respects to James Brown as his body was left lying in state at the Apollo Theater in New York yesterday.

The singer’s body was brought to the legendary venue by horse drawn carriage where it remained on the venues stage from 1pm to 8pm.

Brown’s close friend Reverend Al Sharpton accompanied the golden coffin in front of a huge floral display spelling the word Godfather.

Upon James Brown’s body arriving at the venue, fans chanted his famous line “Say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud.”

Some fans had queued through the night for their chance to pay their last respects to the musical legend.

James Brown died aged 73 in the early hours of Christmas morning. The Apollo Theatre in Harlem was the setting for his defining 1962 live album.

A private funeral is being held for James Brown today in his native Augusta, Georgia, before a huge public service takes place at the 8,500 capacity Civic auditorium: gigwise