Woman, son omitted from James Brown's will

AUGUSTA, Ga., Jan. 19 (UPI) -- The late American soul singer James Brown's will has been made public, and a woman who said she was legally married to Brown questions why she was left out.

Three weeks after his death, Brown's will was made public, without a mention of Tomi Rae Hynie or her son, James Brown Jr., WRDW-TV in Augusta, Ga., said.

Six children stand to split Brown's assets. James Brown Jr., 5, the son Hynie said Brown fathered, is excluded from the will, drafted in 2000.

"I just don't understand. I really don't. ... I'm confused and I'm very hurt," Hynie said last month after she was locked out of the home she and her son shared with Brown.

Paperwork accompanying the will when it was submitted for probate asked if Brown married or had other children since the will was originally signed. His attorneys checked "No."

"As to what Mr. Brown said in his will and why, that was his own choosing and for his own reasons," James Huff, Brown's former attorney, told the television station.

Brown died Dec. 25. The value of his personal and real estate holdings has yet to be determined.