Legendary singer James Brown, who died on Christmas day, finally was laid to rest Saturday, according to a statement by Reverend Al Sharpton, a longtime friend of the "Godfather of Soul."

Brown was buried a private ceremony in South Carolina, according to the statement.

But the crypt where he was interred is not to be the late singer's final resting place; a mausoleum for him is still being completed, according to the statement.

"The children used their own funds to pay for their father's entombment so that their father could be put to rest without further delay," said Sharpton, the well-known civil rights activist and one-time presidential contender, who was at Saturday's ceremony.

A legal dispute between Brown's relatives had delayed the burial of the late soul star.

Sharpton said Brown's children "wanted to see their father entombed in a resting place without delay, rather than await court decisions."

His body was placed in the crypt at Beech Island, South Carolina, where one of his daughters lives, according to local media.

The soul music megastar died of complications from pneumonia at the age of 73 on December 25.

Brown, who once shined shoes for small change and had several run-ins with the law, skyrocketed to fame in the 1950s and sold millions of records that shaped American rhythm-and-blues, funk and disco genres for a half-century.