James Brown Ditches Wife
Mon Feb 2, 4:30 PM ET Add Entertainment - E! Online to My Yahoo!
By Lia Haberman
James Brown isn't feeling so good about his marriage to third wife Tommie Rae Brown.
The Godfather of Soul has filed papers seeking an annulment from his 33-year-old missus, claiming she's still legally hitched to another man, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Brown made headlines last week when he was arrested on a domestic violence charge for allegedly throwing Tommie Rae to the floor and threatening to kill her while holding a chair over her during a dispute at their home in Beech Island, South Carolina.
She suffered scratches and bruises to her right arm and hip and was taken to an Augusta, Georgia, hospital while Brown was taken into custody at the Aiken County Sheriff's Department.
The 70-year-old entertainer denied the allegations, saying, "The main thing is I would never hurt my wife and beat up on her like that. I love her very much."
Those warm, fuzzy feelings didn't extend to sharing her with another man.
Within hours of his release on bail last Thursday, Brown filed the complaint for annulment in Aiken County Family Court.
He contends that Tommie Rae never got a divorce from her previous husband, Javed Ahmed, whom she wed in Houston in February 1997, according to a Texas marriage certificate.
The "Sex Machine" singer reportedly learned of his wife's muddled marital state in the past year. Despite his pleas to resolve the matter, Tommie Rae failed to file for divorce from Ahmed.
The news may go a long way toward explaining last July's split between Brown and the alleged bigamist. At the time, the funkmeister took out a full-page ad in the weekly edition of Hollywood trade Variety announcing that he and Tommie Rae, a singer in her own right, had decided to call it quits a year and a half after tying the knot.
However, the two said they planned to continue touring together, even sharing the spotlight for a duet, which may or may not have led to a reconciliation.
Now, Brown faces a maximum penalty of a $500 fine and 30 days in jail if convicted of assault.
A guilty verdict would also put a blemish on the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's otherwise clean record. Last year, the state of South Carolina granted him a pardon, wiping all of his past legal woes off the slate, including several drug charges and illegal-weapons charges.
The incident is also holding up the city of Augusta's plans to build a statue of Brown and to rename an annual music festival after him. City officials are awaiting the outcome of the case before moving forward with the honors.
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I am a woman, I make mistakes. I make them often. God has given me a talent and that's it. ~ Jill Scott
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