Michael Jackson Knelt Before James Brown on Live TV — 3 Years Later He Spoke at His FUNERAL

On June 24, 2003, Michael Jackson stunned the world at the BET Awards when he walked on stage unannounced and knelt before James Brown, draping the Godfather of Soul's legendary cape over his shoulders on live television. Three years later, on December 30, 2006, Michael appeared one final time — at James Brown's funeral in Augusta, Georgia, where he kissed his hero goodbye and told the world that James Brown was his greatest inspiration. This is the true story of the deepest bond in music history: from a five-year-old Michael Jackson studying James Brown frame by frame on a television in Gary, Indiana, to the Jackson 5 winning Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater, the unforgettable 1983 Beverly Theater night when James Brown called both Michael Jackson and Prince to one stage, the reversed cape routine at the 2003 BET Awards, and James Brown's passing on Christmas morning 2006 — followed by the golden casket procession through Harlem and the Augusta homegoing where the student said his final thank you. Chapters and timestamps below. Subscribe for more untold stories of soul, funk, and R&B legends — James Brown, Michael Jackson, the Apollo Theater, and the moments that shaped music history forever.