<p>Thomas Watson Brown, a well-known philanthropist, has died at the age of 73.</p><p>Brown died Saturday of complications from diabetes at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.</p><p>"Tom Watson Brown was one of the greatest characters who ever lived," former Gov. Roy Barnes said. "He had an opinion on everything and never failed to express it."</p><p>The Harvard-educated Brown lived in an antebellum home in Marietta that flew the Confederate flag. But he was also awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Center's community service award for peace and justice. King's widow, Coretta Scott King, presented the award to Brown for his contributions to the Legal Aid Society of Atlanta.</p><p>He also owned 6 percent of the Atlanta Falcons up until a few years ago.</p><p>Unimpressed with the latest fashions, Brown described himself as an "18th-century gentleman" and a "modern-day Luddite." He refused to have a personal computer in his home office, preferring his 10,000-volume library.</p><p>Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., recalled how Brown held court in his home with personalities such as syndicated columnist Bill Shipp and developer George Berry.</p><p>"Tom Watson Brown was a unique character," Isakson said.</p><p>Brown is scheduled to be buried Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Thomson.</p><p>He is preceded in death by his first wife, Mary Ellen McLaughlin Brown, his second wife, Anne Henderson West Brown, and two sons: John Judson Brown II and John Durham West Brown.</p><p>He is survived by four children and eight grandchildren.</p>
