A woman who claims she was still married to the 'Godfather of Soul' James Brown when he died has made a new claim for his estate.

Velma Warren Brown married the singer in 1953 in Georgia but she has now claimed that they never got divorced and that she is entitled to a part of his estate.

But lawyers for Mr Brown, who died on Christmas Day last year at the age of 73, have insisted that documents show that they divorced in 1969.

A lawyer representing the soul star's estate, Louis Levenson, said: "If Ms Brown believed that she was not divorced, she's admitting to having herself committed bigamy."

Ms Brown's lawyer, David Bell, claimed they had three children and lived together for 17 years, but they never formally separated. Bell said: "They kind of went their separate ways, but he always kept in touch with her."

Since Brown's death at least three people have tried to make claims on his estate because of alleged DNA tests proving that they were his children. One woman also claimed that she was his fourth wife and should be given a share of the estate.