DNA test proves James Brown fathered boy

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.”

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.

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