Age, Biography and Wiki
Bobby Brown was born on February 5, 1969, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Herbert and Carole Brown. As of 2025, he is 56 years old. He is best known for his work with New Edition and his solo career, which includes the hit songs "My Prerogative" and "Every Little Step." He has an active Wikipedia page that documents his life and career milestones.
| Occupation | Pop Singer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 5 February 1969 |
| Age | 56 Years |
| Birth Place | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
- Height: 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm)
- Weight: Approximately 198 pounds (90 kg)
- Hair Color: Black
- Eye Color: Dark Brown
Robert Barisford Brown Sr. (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and dancer. Alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, he is recognized as a pioneer of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown rose to fame as a founding member of the R&B/pop vocal group New Edition, contributing to hits like "Candy Girl", "Cool It Now", and "Mr. Telephone Man". He left the group in 1985 to pursue a solo career but later reunited with them for their Billboard 200 number-one album Home Again (1996).
| Height | 5 feet 10 inches |
| Weight | 90 kg |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
| Hair Color |
Dating & Relationship Status
Bobby Brown has been married to Alicia Etheredge since 2012. Prior to this, he was famously married to Whitney Houston from 1992 until their divorce in 2007. He has a total of seven children from his relationships.
Brown's debut album, King of Stage (1986), featured the number-one R&B single "Girlfriend". However, it was his second album, Don't Be Cruel (1988), that brought him commercial and critical success, producing five Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including the number-one hit "My Prerogative" and the Grammy Award–winning "Every Little Step". In 1989, Brown contributed two songs to the Ghostbusters II soundtrack. His next album, Bobby (1992), was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA and featured the singles "Humpin' Around", "Get Away", and "Good Enough". Brown has also appeared in films, including A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996) and Two Can Play That Game (2001).
In 1992, Brown married Whitney Houston, with whom he had a daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown. Their widely publicized relationship was marked by drug issues and domestic disputes, attracting significant media attention. Brown and Houston starred in the 2005 reality television series Being Bobby Brown. Houston filed for divorce in 2006, and it was finalized the next year.
His mother Carole Elizabeth (born Williams) was a substitute teacher, and his father Herbert James Brown was a construction worker. Brown grew up in Roxbury's Orchard Park Projects. Brown's first taste of performing on stage occurred when he was age three, and one of his childhood idols James Brown performed in Boston. This performance sparked his dream of becoming a professional singer. Brown joined the church choir, where he recognized and developed his singing abilities. Brown's musical influences also include singer-songwriters Rick James, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, and Prince. Brown is reportedly a distant cousin of disco artist Donna Summer and her family, who lived at the multiracial Mission Hill neighborhood in the 1950s and 1960s.
Following his exit from New Edition, Brown signed a contract with his former group's label, MCA (which had earlier promised Brown a solo deal if he had decided to leave New Edition), and also signed with manager Steven Machat, who had also worked with New Edition. The label released his debut album King of Stage in 1986. Brown had a number-one R&B hit with the ballad "Girlfriend", but the album otherwise failed to perform well.
Brown's next album Bobby was released in 1992. Despite its release during the final days of the new jack swing era it was a success, selling more than 3 million copies, and spawning several hit singles including "Humpin' Around", "Get Away", and "Good Enough". He received his second Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance nomination for "Humpin' Around". He received his third American Music Award in January 1993. However, sales of Bobby did not match its predecessor. The song, "Something in Common", a duet between Brown and then-newlywed wife Whitney Houston, in which they shared songwriting credit while Houston was credited with vocal arrangement, became a hit in the UK, peaking at No. 16. Despite the fact that the song did not receive a commercial single in the United States, the song became a hit on the Billboard pop and R&B radio airplay charts.
Four years later, he would release his fourth solo album Forever, in 1997. The album's only single, "Feeling Inside", was not successful. Brown would contribute to wife Whitney Houston's 2002 album, Just Whitney, co-producing the moderately successful hit, "Whatchulookinat", while contributing vocals to their duet, "My Love", off the same album. The latter duet reached the top 40 of the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart. Just Whitney was a hit, going platinum in the United States and selling over 2.5 million units worldwide.
In 2008, Brown planned to release a book titled Bobby Brown: The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But, written by author Derrick Handspike. When controversial comments that Brown made about his ex-wife, Whitney Houston, were leaked to the media, he backed out of the project. Handspike released the book after Houston's death in 2012.
Brown made his acting debut with a cameo appearance in the 1989 film, Ghostbusters II, playing the Mayor's doorman. The following year, he appeared in the HBO kids show, Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme playing all three characters of Three Blind Mice. In 1995, he made another guest appearance in the film, Panther, and had a major role in the Martin Lawrence film, A Thin Line Between Love and Hate. Brown made other guest appearances in the films Two Can Play That Game, Gang of Roses, Nora's Hair Salon and Go for Broke.
In 2005, Brown was in negotiations with the Bravo television network for a reality series entitled Being Bobby Brown. Bravo, however, was not ready to commit to the deal unless Brown's superstar wife Whitney Houston agreed to be part of the cast, which she did. The show then received the greenlight from Bravo and was a massive success in the ratings, with Houston proving so popular on the series that she received as much screen time as the show's name-sake. The series showed Brown and Houston not always in their best moments. The Hollywood Reporter said that the show was "undoubtedly the most disgusting and execrable series ever to ooze its way onto television". Despite the perceived train-wreck nature of the show, it continued Houston's unbroken string of hit motion pictures and television projects, and it gave Bravo its highest ratings ever of any of its ongoing series. The show lasted one season and ended in 2006 after Houston stated she would not appear in season two and Bravo and Brown could not settle on a new deal.
In 1995, Brown was with Steven Sealy when Sealy was targeted in a drive-by shooting. Sealy, Brown's sister's boyfriend, was killed and Brown was unharmed. The shooter, John Tibbs, took a plea agreement in 2001.
Brown's parents, Carole and Herbert Brown, died within a year of each other. Carole died in 2011 and Herbert "Pops" in January 2012, a month before Bobby's former wife Whitney Houston's death.
Throughout their marriage, there were rumors of infidelity on Brown's part, alcohol and substance abuse, and domestic violence. Their personal issues became fodder for talk shows, tabloids and sketch comedy shows. Some sketch comedy shows portrayed Brown as a has-been who was jealous of his wife's celebrity status. In 2003, Brown was charged with battery after an altercation with Houston.
Following the death of Houston on February 11, 2012, six days after his 43rd birthday, Brown struggled to perform at a New Edition show, shouting "I love you, Whitney" in tears. Brown then excused himself from the stage and New Edition finished the remainder of the show. Brown appeared at Houston's memorial service in New Jersey but was asked to leave by the family's security. In an interview given to The Today Show in May 2012, Brown said security was the reason he and his family left the service; Brown stated that he loved Houston's family and told Matt Lauer that he had spent "14 beautiful years" with Houston as his wife. Along with Clive Davis, Ray J, and others, Brown has been accused of contributing to the singer's death, which he denies.
Brown has fathered seven children. He has two children with Kim Ward, whom he met around 1980; daughter La'Princia (b. 1989) and son Bobby Brown Jr. (1991–2020). His and Ward's on-and-off 11-year relationship ended in 1991. At three months pregnant, Ward found out Brown was engaged to Whitney Houston. Houston suffered miscarriages in 1992, 1994, and 1996. His only child with Houston was Bobbi Kristina Brown (1993–2015). Brown has three children with Alicia Etheredge: a son born in 2009, and daughters born in 2015 and 2016.
* In December 2003, Brown was charged with battery for striking his wife, Whitney Houston, and threatening to beat her." Police reported that Houston had visible injuries to her face.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Whitney Houston (m. 1992-2007) Alicia Etheredge (m. 2012) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Bobby Brown's net worth is estimated at $2 million. His earnings primarily come from his successful music career, including his time with New Edition and his solo projects. While he has faced personal struggles and financial challenges, his net worth reflects his enduring legacy in the R&B genre.
Career, Business and Investments
Bobby Brown's career began with New Edition, where he was a founding member. He later embarked on a highly successful solo career, releasing albums like "King of Stage" and "Don't Be Cruel," which included hits that topped the charts. "Don't Be Cruel" was particularly notable, as it sold over 12 million copies worldwide and featured five Top 5 singles. Brown has also made appearances in films and television shows, including a cameo in "Ghostbusters II."
Brown laid low for more than a year while working on his follow-up album. With the help of Machat and MCA representative Louil Silas, Brown began working with some of the top R&B producers and songwriters of the time, including Babyface, Antonio "L.A." Reid and Teddy Riley. The producers helped to compose what became Brown's most successful solo album of his career, Don't Be Cruel. Released in 1988, the album became Brown's first number-one album on the Billboard 200 on January 21, 1989, replacing fellow R&B singer Anita Baker's Giving You the Best That I Got at the top spot. 19 years old at the time of this accomplishment, Brown became the youngest male artist to top the Billboard 200 since Stevie Wonder's 1963 live album, Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius, which reached the top spot when Wonder was thirteen. At the time, Brown became the youngest male artist in history to top the album charts with a studio album. Singer Justin Bieber later broke that record in 2010.
In June 2007, Brown took part in the ITV television series 24 Hours With..., a chat show format as celebrity and interviewer spend an intense 24 hours locked in a room together. The show's host, Jamie Campbell, asked Brown questions about his career and private life, and infamously joked about making "sexual moves" towards the singer. Brown was furious and threatened to beat Campbell up live on air. Brown's later tenures in reality shows included appearances on Real Husbands of Hollywood, Celebrity Fit Club and Gone Country.
Social Network
Bobby Brown is active on social media platforms, where he connects with fans and shares updates about his life and career.
Despite the group's success, however, Brown felt the group was never rightfully paid the money they felt they had earned, later saying, "The most I saw from all the tours and all of the records we sold was $500 and a VCR." Brown also allegedly grew jealous of the attention given to fellow New Edition member Ralph Tresvant, and during some of their tour performances would often step out of his position and perform out of turn, singing and performing seductively, which caused concern within the group's management team. Brown was featured on two more New Edition albums before leaving the group in early 1986. Brown later said he felt that the group's management treated them "like little slaves by people who were only interested in money and power, and not in the welfare of New Edition". Some controversy arose over the way Brown was removed from the group. Some say Brown asked to be let out of New Edition, but a VH-1 Behind the Music documentary on the group claimed Brown was voted out by the group via their management team, with the members—most prominently Tresvant—against the decision.
Brown was spoofed by Aries Spears on MADtv, with Whitney Houston portrayed by Debra Wilson. He was also spoofed by Tracy Morgan and Finesse Mitchell on Saturday Night Live. Brown was portrayed by Arlen Escarpeta in the television film Whitney, by Woody McClain in the 2017 miniseries The New Edition Story and in the 2018 miniseries about his life, The Bobby Brown Story. Brown is also portrayed by Ashton Sanders in the Whitney Houston biopic, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, that was released Christmas 2022.
Education
Bobby Brown attended Cherry Creek High School. However, his music career took off early, and he gained much of his education and experience through his work in the entertainment industry.
In summary, Bobby Brown's net worth in 2025 reflects his enduring impact on the music industry, despite personal and financial challenges. His legacy as a singer, songwriter, and performer continues to inspire and entertain fans worldwide.
In January 2015, Brown's daughter Bobbi Kristina was found unconscious in her bathtub at her residence in Roswell, Georgia. The 21-year-old was rushed to North Fulton Hospital where she was placed on a ventilator in a medically induced coma to stop the swelling of her brain. It was reported her brain activity was "low". Brown rushed to his daughter's side and released a statement to the press requesting them to respect the family's privacy. She was later transferred to Emory University Hospital. After doctors concluded significant brain function was unlikely to occur, Bobbi Kristina was removed from the ventilator and put in the care of Hospice in Duluth, Georgia. She died there on July 26, 2015, at age 22.
* From May to June 2000, Brown spent 26 days in jail after he was arrested by U.S. Customs agents in New Jersey following a trip from the Bahamas. The arrest stemmed from an outstanding warrant for violating probation in his 1996 drunken driving conviction. The warrant had been issued in June 1999, after Brown's probation officer reported that cocaine had been found in his urine test twice.
