James Brown
Born: May 3, 1933
Died: December 25, 2005

The "Godfather of Soul," James Brown was second only to Elvis Presley on the pop charts; no one touched him on the black charts. Michael Jackson called him his biggest influence, as have countless others.

In February 1998, Brown was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and unlawful use of a firearm, less than a week after leaving a hospital where his agent said he was treated for an addiction to painkillers.

The "Hardest Working Man in Show Business," then 64, said he smoked a small amount of marijuana for medicinal purposes. "I have bad eyes," Brown told Augusta's The Chronicle. "It was just a little tiny bit. It wasn't even a misdemeanor--it should've been in recorder's court."