James Brown’s rings for sale

AIKEN, S.C. – James Brown’s possessions will be appraised and auctioned, in part to pay taxes his estate owes, court-appointed trustees said Wednesday.\nAttorney Adele Pope would not say exactly what items would be auctioned or how much they were worth. She also refused to say after a hearing how much the estate owed.\nBrown died in Atlanta in December 2006, throwing into turmoil the future of his trust, which might include music rights and his 60-acre Beech Island home in western South Carolina. The total value is still unclear.\nHis will called for the items to be divided among the singer’s six adult children. But Tomi Rae Hynie, who claims to be Brown’s fourth wife and the mother of another one of his children, has contested the will.\nHynie argues she is entitled to half the estate. The children are also contesting the will, which was signed 10 months before Brown’s death. The trustees have asked Brown’s children and Hynie to provide a list of items they don’t want auctioned.\nAn attorney for Hynie, a former backup singer for Brown, said some automobiles were given to her and shouldn’t be auctioned.\n“It’s easier to divide money, and we don’t know who will be getting what,” said Hynie’s attorney Robert Rosen.\nBrown died on Dec. 25, 2006 after suffering congestive heart failure.