Music legend James Brown certainly led a noteworthy and exceptional life. Now it seems that even his death cannot put a stop to it. It emerged last week that the body of the legendary soul singer had gone missing from its crypt, according to daughter LaRhonda Pettit. The so-called ‘Godfather of Soul’, born in 1933 was laid to rest at the end of December 2006. The funeral was attended by celebrity mourners such as Michael Jackson, MC Hammer and pointy haired boxing promoter Don King. Many more who could not attend the service sent flowers.

What may have happened to the body is a mystery and the subject of some conjecture. Somewhat unsurprisingly the undertaker who interred the singer’s body has denied the rumours, doubtless keen to protect the professional reputation of his company. Assuming that Pettit is correct in her assertions there are a few possible explanations.

The story favoured by Pettit herself is that the body was spirited away, by persons unknown, to prevent the true cause of death from becoming known. The official cause of death has been given as congestive heart failure and pneumonia. Other motives for the theft could be grizzly souvenir hunters, or Victorian style body snatchers seeking corpses for medical experimentation.

One grim possibility however has not been articulated, though even unsaid it hangs like a dark cloud of fear over the whole story. That is that the musical genius who once made millions happy was re-animated by an unholy Voodoo ritual. If this was the case the zombie of Brown could be stalking the South Carolina night, bent on mayhem.

James Brown is not the only deceased musician proving to be active. Once controversial ‘King of Pop’, Michael Jackson has not let his death stand in the way of the most lucrative recording contract in music history. Jackson, or more accurately his estate, has secured a $200 million contract with Sony Music Entertainment. This is in exchange for 10 projects, to be put out over the next 7 years. The projects will include previously unreleased material as well as live footage and a re-issue of landmark album “Off the Wall”.

Living-dead in America?