COLUMBIA, S.C. - The self-proclaimed widow admits she’s been a bit of a drama queen, and she’s not about to apologize for it. The lawyer feels brushed aside after more than two decades of dedication. The preacher had trouble dealing with the death of a man who took the role of the father who abandoned him. And the son is at peace, ready to continue his father’s work.

A year after music legend James Brown died in an Atlanta hospital, the people who surrounded him in life continue to fight over the future of his fortune and legacy. People claiming to be Brown’s relatives have entered the fray. And none of what’s become a tragicomic saga looks to be resolved anytime soon. Brown, who died Christmas Day at age 73, continues to be remembered for a larger-than-life personality, his voice and flashy footwork inspiring generations of entertainers.

The Godfather of Soul won Grammies, recorded more than 110 charted singles and is credited by some with inventing funk and rap music. As thousands attended public memorial services for Brown, the legal rifts surrounding his estate were forming. It took two months for him to be buried, his body at one point resting in a sealed gold casket inside his home. After he was buried in March on one of his daughter’s properties, his family said a more public mausoleum was planned.

There’s still talk of a Graceland-like mansion at his Beech Island home. Tomi Rae Hynie, a former backup singer who claims to be Brown’s fourth wife and the mother of his child, said she led the private funeral procession that day with her son. She’s claimed Brown wanted her to have his home in the western part of South Carolina, near the Georgia state line, but was locked out.