It was 3:20 this morning when i heard a noise... I thought maybe it was Santa, but it was actually the newsroom calling me... James Brown had died (Full Story).

I was on call for breaking news this weekend, so when I got the call, I quickly threw on some clothes and headed into work to get the details. At about 5 AM, my correspondent Rusty Dornin and I were off to the hospital where the self-proclaimed "Godfather of Soul" had passed away. Watch: James Brown Dies at 73 .

As it turns out, the 73-year-old music legend was spotted last Friday near his hometown in Augusta, Georgia handing out Christmas gifts to underprivileged children. After he finished there, he headed into Atlanta for a routine dentist appointment, and at some point over the weekend, he was taken to Emory's Crawford Long Hospital with severe pneumonia. At 1:45 AM on Christmas day, he passed away from what his manager says was a heart attack related to pneumonia.

While it all seems pretty sudden - one day handing out presents, the next day in the hospital - pneumonia is notorious for striking suddenly.

So should you be concerned that your chest cold may be pneumonia?

First, if you have a pretty sudden onset of symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain or coughing - particularly a cough that produces greenish mucous - there may be cause for concern. Often times, pneumonia also come along with flu-like symptoms - a fever, shaking chills and muscle pains - so if you're experiencing any of these symptoms, go see your doctor, and let him or her sort out what's causing your discomfort.

Finally, know your risk factors - Young children and the elderly, those with chronic diseases and smokers have a much greater risk for developing serious lung infections like pneumonia, so if you fall into any of these categories and you have a cold you just can't seem to shake, it might be a good time to go see your doctor.