AIKEN - A national news magazine says James Brown couldn't possibly be papa to the young boy the singer's disputed fourth wife says is the music legend's heir.

Men's magazine GQ's lengthy story on the singer says Mr. Brown, a noted womanizer who fathered at least 10 children, had a vasectomy nearly a quarter of a century ago.

The claim further throws question on the paternity of James Brown II, the 6-year-old son of the singer's disputed fourth wife.

Tomi Rae Hynie Brown says the child, born in 2001, is the music legend's son, while longtime advisers say the boy Mr. Brown called "Little Man" is not the singer's child -- and even he didn't believe so.

No paternity test has been done on the child, whose court-appointed guardian has challenged the singer's will to get the boy a share of Mr. Brown's estate.

Neither James II nor his mother were mentioned in the singer's 2000 will -- under debate in Aiken Court by five of his named heirs as well -- which was drafted before the child was born and before Mr. and Mrs. Brown exchanged vows.

In a 10-page story about the music legend's stormy life, his lovers, his children and his messy death, GQ reports that Mr. Brown had a vasectomy in 1984 -- and bragged about it to friends.

Although the article does not name the source for this information, confidant Andre White, who was with the singer when he died in an Atlanta hospital on Christmas Day 2006, told The Augusta Chronicle on Friday that Mr. Brown's closest friends and at least one daughter knew he'd had the surgery.

"He was very proud of it," Mr. White said Friday. "It was just common knowledge among all his friends."

Mr. Brown said the surgery was painless, Mr. White said, although at one point he did say he was considering having it reversed.

The lengthy article discusses Mr. Brown's life, predilection for women and his refusal to acknowledge the three women DNA tests have confirmed in recent months as being his daughters.

The story also details the complicated legal challenges facing the singer's estate, which have been extensively reported on by The Augusta Chronicle.

And Mr. White also shared other information with the magazine -- his theory that his longtime employer was murdered.

He refused in an interview with The Chronicle on Friday to say who he believes to be behind Mr. Brown's death.

The singer's death certificate says Mr. Brown died from cardiac arrest.

Reach Sandi Martin at 803-803-648-1395 or sandi.martin@augustachronicle.com