Hey folks. Quint here, early Christmas morning with a downer of a story. I'm very sorry to have to post this at the height of the festive holiday, but James Brown died this morning. They haven't released the details of his death, but he was hospitalized recently with a severe case of pneumonia.

I was never lucky enough to see James Brown perform, but I know many people who did and to the person they said he more than lived up to his "hardest working man in showbusiness" legend.

My first exposure to him was, of course, his music. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag, I Got You (I Feel Good), Say It Loud - I'm Black And I'm Proud and The Payback all were heard regularly by me growing up. I was an Oldies station listener as a kid. I was exposed to all types of 50s and 60s music, from the surf sound to MoTown and everything inbetween.

Of course I saw James Brown in THE BLUES BROTHER, the scene where he leads the church in song (The Old Landmark) and shows John Belushi the light always made me smile. Maybe it was all the magical flying church goers or Brown belting from the depths of his soul or a combination of the two.

Over the years I've enjoyed him popping up in films, playing himself. My favorite of these appearances is in UNDERCOVER BROTHER. He obviously had a wicked sense of humor and you could tell he was having a lot of fun letting things hang down.

Brown contributed his music talent, with Fred Wesley, to the scores of two 70s blaxploitation flicks, BLACK CAESAR, starring Fred Williamson and SLAUGHTER'S BIG RIP-OFF, starring Jim Brown.

James Brown was an icon in every sense of the word. My thoughts this Christmas will be with his friends, family and fans.