The Hardest Working Man in Show Business is dead. Slate features a great eulogy for him here.

James Brown was the missing link between Rhythm and Blues and Hip Hop. He also wrote the greatest rock and roll line of all time (From The Payback: "I don't know karate, but I know crazy" (pronounced kuh-ray-zee).

My favorite story about James, though, comes from the recording of Say it Loud: I'm Black and I'm Proud. For the song, he enlisted the help of a mostly-white children's group to sing the "I'm black and I'm proud" part.

R.I.P. James.