SerpApi.Org
Leave it to the Godfather of Soul to have one of the goofiest divorce announcements ever.
On this day, July 23, 2003, James Brown and his then-wife, Tomi Rea Brown, placed a full-page ad in Variety announcing their separation.
Not only did the decision to reveal the news in an ad raise eyebrows, but the photo the pair decided to use alongside their statement also sparked headlines at the time.
James Brown’s 2003 Breakup
The breakup announcement was placed in the July 21-27 edition of the trade publication.
“Due to Mr. James Brown and Mrs. Tomi Rae Brown’s heavy demanding tour schedule, they have decided to go their separate ways,” read a statement from the couple. “There are no hard feelings, just a mutual show business decision made by both parties for the benefit of their carriers.”
Tomi was one of Brown’s backup singers at the time.
“Mr. Brown says, we both love each other but it has become difficult to function together,” the statement continued. “With love and affection we both reached this decision. We were a great team and we both have a great fortune.”
“May God be with you, all our friends and fans,” they concluded in the joint statement.
Alongside the announcement was a photo of the couple not just in happier times, but at the Happiest Place on Earth, Disney World, in Florida. In the picture, the two were seen posing with their then-2-year-old son, James Joseph Brown II, and a park employee dressed in full Goofy gear.
As for why the two decided to choose that specific image, someone close to the singer said “the photo was chosen to emphasize the happy times of the relationship, rather than the hard times of a breakup."
Legal Dispute Over the Marriage
While many outlets at the time reported that the pair had married in December 2001, the validity of those nuptials came into question in the years after Brown’s 2006 death. Brown died from congestive heart failure related to pneumonia on Christmas Day in 2006. He was 73.
Per the New York Times reporting, Tomi was previously married and never annulled that marriage before tying the knot with Brown. When Brown learned of her prior marriage, he filed for an annulment in 2004, though it was never finalized.
As she sought a stake in Brown’s estate, she claimed her previous husband had three other wives in Pakistan, arguing that he was a bigamist and their marriage was void. In 2008, the court agreed with her argument, declaring at the time that their marriage was valid.
In 2020, however, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that she and Brown were never legally married because a “competent court” never invalidated her previous marriage. That decision means she did not have a right to his assets.
A dispute over Brown’s estate went on for 15 years before a settlement agreement was finally reached in 2021. However, the details of the settlement were never made public.
