One of the most influential names in the world of music is Bobby Brown. The man behind the famous Bunny Dance is a musician, actor, producer, and recently a writer. He was born on February 5th as Robert Barisford Brown Sr., one of the pioneers of the new jack swing. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he is one of eight children and so grew up in a house full of siblings. He first got a taste of music when James Brown, one of his childhood idols, performed in Boston; seeing him on stage inspired the Grammy-winning singer to recognize his own ability.
Bobby Brown has cited singers and musicians like Michael Jackson, Prince, Marvin Gaye, and Rick James as influences and inspirations for his movie. He has had an incredibly successful career being on Billboard Top 100 and winning a Grammy despite his insanely popular career during his heydays and contributions to pop culture.
His life turned out less than ideal. Most of the scandals and controversies he has involved him aided his downfall. Several shows and comedy sketches have named him a ‘has-been’. His frequent involvement in scandals led to the tarnishing of his image and his consistently losing fans. So what happened? This is Bobby Brown Then and Now.
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Bobby Brown’s Relationship With Whitney Houston
Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston first met in 1989, and it seems that they instantly took a liking to one another. They more or less came from similar backgrounds and had similar tastes in music. Friends of the couple reported that they were both incredibly close. They started to get along even better after Houston invited him to her birthday party. They got married in 1992; however, the fourteen-year relationship was not always stable. Both Whitney and Brown had faced drug addiction issues before they got married, but it seemed to get worse with time.
Houston’s friend and former assistant, Robyn Crawford, recalled that they began feuding immediately after the marriage on their honeymoon. She also reported that Houston also appeared with a big scar on her face and downplayed the injury. Their marriage was not simple, and there were increased fights. Their drug use intensified after the marriage. On one episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show after their divorce, Whitney claimed that it was Bobby Brown who got her addicted to cocaine. On the contrary, he reported that it was Whitney who got him addicted right after their wedding. Whitney, on top of the marital problem, also went through three miscarriages after the couple welcomed their daughter Kristina Brown.
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A Very Public Divorce
In September 2006, Houston filed for separation and later divorced which was finalized in 2007. Their marital problems had become fodder for headlines. Houston received custody of their fourteen-year-old daughter. After the divorce, Houston talked about the domestic violence she faced while she was married to Bobby Brown. She reported that he once spat on her when drunk. He was also charged with sixty days in prison after he had hit her during the course of their marriage.
There was also infidelity on his part, along with the drug and addiction issues that were worsening per day. Following the death of Houston, Brown struggled to perform at a New Edition show, shouting “I love you, Whitney” in tears. Houston was found in her hotel bathtub, and it seemed like a case of accidental drowning; her prescribed drugs and others were found in her system. He tried to join his former wife’s memorial service but was asked to leave by the family. He, along with artists Ray J and Clive Davis, are accused of contributing to the death of the singer.
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Addiction
Brown was diagnosed with ADD as a child and later, at the age of 32, with Bipolar Disorder. He explained that he was a frequent drug user and that marijuana was his drug of choice. He also suffered from alcoholism, and his drug abuse issues were known to be severe.
According to former gang member David Collins, Brown was kidnapped by the New York street gang the Preacher Crew over a $25,000 drug debt; it was Whitney Houston who paid the ransom and paid the debt.
Felonies
From 1990 to 2012, Bobby was arrested fifteen times over differing charges. He was first arrested for disorderly conduct in a restaurant, and the charges kept getting worse. He was arrested for public urination and damaging properties, for driving under the influence, and for battery after he kicked a hotel security guard.
He was also detained after alleged suspicion of sexual harassment and for hitting his former wife. He has been arrested for breaking parole, not paying child support, disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, assault, battery, and violating probation. It is safe to say that Bobby Brown, who was once a musical icon, has officially fallen from grace as the list of charges against him keeps getting longer. There is little that can be done to redeem him.
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