DNA test proves James Brown fathered boy

Son is 6-year-old child of woman who was a backup performer for singer

Doug Pizac / AP

An attorney says a DNA test confirms James Brown fathered the son of a woman who claimed to be the singer's wife when he died.

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updated 5:46 p.m. ET May 4, 2008

COLUMBIA, S.C. - An attorney says a DNA test confirms James Brown fathered the son of a woman who claimed to be the singer’s wife when he died.

Peter Shahid, an attorney for James Brown II, said Friday that the boy was tested in April before a South Carolina judge ordered a paternity test.

The results of the court-ordered test have not been released. The boy is the 6-year-old son of Tomi Rae Hynie, a former backup singer for the “Godfather of Soul.”

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Trustees handling Brown’s estate have suggested that Hynie was not legally married to Brown and that her boy is not his son. They were not mentioned in Brown’s will.

A call to a spokesman for Hynie and a message left for Brown’s trustees were not returned.

Brown died in December 2006.