Tomi Rae Hynie
Encyclopedia
Tomi Rae Hynie is an American
singer who was a companion of James Brown
. Hynie is the mother of James Joseph Brown II, born June 11, 2001.
Janis Joplin
impersonator
in Las Vegas, Nevada
and as a backup singer in the James Brown Revue.
" in an immigration fraud. Although Hynie stated that her marriage to Javed Ahmed was later annulled, the annulment for Hynie's 1997 marriage to Ahmed did not occur until April 2004. In an interview on CNN
with Larry King
, Hynie produced a 2001 marriage certificate as proof of her marriage to James Brown, but she did not provide King with court records pointing to an annulment of her marriage to him or to Ahmed.
In 2004, the annulment of the marriage between Hynie and Javed Ahmed was granted by Family Court Judge Charlie Segars-Andrews in Charleston, South Carolina, dissolving the marriage on the basis that Hynie did not consummate the marriage with Ahmed and clearing the way for Brown and Hynie to remarry. Judge Segars-Andrews also mentioned in the ruling that Ahmed was already married to at least one other woman in Pakistan and that Ahmed had fraudulently married Hynie to obtain U.S. citizenship.
Dallas, Brown's lawyer, also mentioned that, although Hynie's marriage to Javed Ahmed was annulled after she married James Brown, the Brown-Hynie marriage was still not valid under South Carolina law because Brown and Hynie did not remarry after the annulment. Brown was to remarry Hynie once the annulment was granted, but he did not follow through on that action. According to Debra Opri, another of Brown's lawyers based in Los Angeles
, Hynie knew that she was only Brown's companion, since Hynie signed a document in 2004 mentioning that she was not Brown's wife and that she would not refer to herself as his wife in the future.
In an interview, Tomi Rae recalls James Brown saying his son would have a better life because he is half white:
Their Son: James Brown II
By late 2000 Tomi Rae was pregnant with Brown's son, born in June 2001. Brown named the boy after himself – James Brown II – the only child he ever gave his own name to. "James thought his son might be president one day," recalls Tomi Rae. "When he named him he said, 'I gave him my name because I knew that having my name and being half white, he might actually have a shot in this world. He could become the president of the United States one day'. He said that this boy was going to do more than he ever did. I felt those shoes were too big to fill."
According to Hynie's attorney, Hynie plans to contest the will to fight for a share of Brown's estate now that the will has been filed with the probate court. Hynie wants the court to rule that she was legally married to Brown at the time of his death and that she is entitled to half of Brown's estate because of marriage. After weeks of legal wrangling, Hynie received permission by the court on February 9, 2007 to access the Brown estate to gather her belongings.
is built for him and a decision has been made for his final resting place.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer who was a companion of James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
. Hynie is the mother of James Joseph Brown II, born June 11, 2001.
Singing career
Hynie worked as a sound alikeSound alike
A sound alike is a person who is able to use their voice to closely resemble that of another person.In western culture, sound alikes find work as impersonators on television comedy programmes portraying famous individuals.-See also:...
Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
impersonator
Impersonator
An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for someone to be an impersonator, some common ones being as follows:...
in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
and as a backup singer in the James Brown Revue.
Controversy of marriage to James Brown
Much controversy surrounds Hynie's December 2001 "marriage" to James Brown. According to Brown's longtime attorney, Albert "Buddy" Dallas, the marriage between Brown and Hynie was invalid because Hynie was married at that time to Javed Ahmed, a Pakistani whom Hynie claimed married her for a "green cardUnited States Permanent Resident Card
United States lawful permanent residency refers to a person's immigration status: the person is authorized to live and work in the United States of America on a permanent basis....
" in an immigration fraud. Although Hynie stated that her marriage to Javed Ahmed was later annulled, the annulment for Hynie's 1997 marriage to Ahmed did not occur until April 2004. In an interview on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
with Larry King
Larry King
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
, Hynie produced a 2001 marriage certificate as proof of her marriage to James Brown, but she did not provide King with court records pointing to an annulment of her marriage to him or to Ahmed.
Annulment of previous marriage to Javed Ahmed
According to Dallas, Brown was angry and hurt that Hynie concealed her prior marriage to Javed Ahmed from him. Brown moved to file for annulment of his marriage to Hynie, which occurred after he was charged with domestic violence against her. In August 2003, Brown also demonstrated his intention to annul his marriage to Hynie by taking out a full page notice in Variety Magazine that featured Hynie, James II and himself on vacation at Disney World to announce that he and Hynie were going their separate ways. In addition to the public notice in Variety Magazine, Hynie was even asked to leave an overseas tour after Brown found out that she was married to another person at the time that she married him. According to Hynie, she was returning to the United States at that time to sign papers proving that her previous marriage was indeed dissolved.In 2004, the annulment of the marriage between Hynie and Javed Ahmed was granted by Family Court Judge Charlie Segars-Andrews in Charleston, South Carolina, dissolving the marriage on the basis that Hynie did not consummate the marriage with Ahmed and clearing the way for Brown and Hynie to remarry. Judge Segars-Andrews also mentioned in the ruling that Ahmed was already married to at least one other woman in Pakistan and that Ahmed had fraudulently married Hynie to obtain U.S. citizenship.
Dallas, Brown's lawyer, also mentioned that, although Hynie's marriage to Javed Ahmed was annulled after she married James Brown, the Brown-Hynie marriage was still not valid under South Carolina law because Brown and Hynie did not remarry after the annulment. Brown was to remarry Hynie once the annulment was granted, but he did not follow through on that action. According to Debra Opri, another of Brown's lawyers based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Hynie knew that she was only Brown's companion, since Hynie signed a document in 2004 mentioning that she was not Brown's wife and that she would not refer to herself as his wife in the future.
Paternity of James Brown II
In a separate CNN interview, Debra Opri, another Brown family attorney, revealed to Larry King that Brown wanted a DNA test performed after his death to confirm the paternity of James II — not for Brown's sake, but for the sake of the other family members. In April 2007, Hynie selected a guardian ad litem that she wants the court to appoint to represent James Brown II in the proceedings to establish paternity.In an interview, Tomi Rae recalls James Brown saying his son would have a better life because he is half white:
Their Son: James Brown II
By late 2000 Tomi Rae was pregnant with Brown's son, born in June 2001. Brown named the boy after himself – James Brown II – the only child he ever gave his own name to. "James thought his son might be president one day," recalls Tomi Rae. "When he named him he said, 'I gave him my name because I knew that having my name and being half white, he might actually have a shot in this world. He could become the president of the United States one day'. He said that this boy was going to do more than he ever did. I felt those shoes were too big to fill."
Lockout from the Brown estate
On the day after Brown's death, Hynie returned to the Brown estate to find padlocks on the gates and security personnel guarding the property. According to Brown's attorneys, Brown's estate was secured to protect the property in trust and prevent anyone from removing the property from the estate. On January 11, 2007, lawyers for the Brown estate read his will, and neither Hynie nor her son James II were named as beneficiaries of the estate.According to Hynie's attorney, Hynie plans to contest the will to fight for a share of Brown's estate now that the will has been filed with the probate court. Hynie wants the court to rule that she was legally married to Brown at the time of his death and that she is entitled to half of Brown's estate because of marriage. After weeks of legal wrangling, Hynie received permission by the court on February 9, 2007 to access the Brown estate to gather her belongings.
Burial of James Brown
After more than ten weeks since the public and private memorial services for James Brown, Hynie and Brown's children agreed on a temporary burial site for James Brown. Brown was buried on March 10, 2007 in a crypt at a temporary site near the home of Deanna Brown Thomas, one of his daughters. The private ceremony for Brown's temporary burial was attended by Brown's children, Hynie and a host of other family and friends. According to Brown's family, Brown's body will remain buried at the temporary site while a public mausoleumMausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
is built for him and a decision has been made for his final resting place.