After a long drive through the night from Georgia, the body of music legend James Brown arrived Thursday in Harlem, where thousands of fans waited to see the singer one last time at the Apollo Theater.
The Godfather of Soul arrived in a white hearse at the Rev. Al Sharpton's headquarters just after noon.
Pallbearers lifted his gold casket into a horse-drawn carriage that was to take the body on a procession through Harlem to the historic hall.
As the white carriage, pulled by two white horses, began rolling, several hundred fans sang the chorus of Brown's anthem, "Say it Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud.''
Plans called for Brown to lie in repose from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the stage where he made his 1956 debut and recorded a thrilling live album in 1962. A program for family and close friends was planned for 6 p.m.
Some fans arrived as early as midnight for a chance to pay their respects.
The public will be permitted on Thursday to visit the Apollo from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m to have one more look at a man who helped steer modern musical tastes toward rhythm-and-blues, funk, hip-hop, disco and rap, the Rev. Al Sharpton said.
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