What is bobby brown net worth?
Bobby Brown is an American R&B singer/songwriter with a bobby brown net worth of $2 million. He is best known for being part of the R&B/pop group New Edition as well as his solo career. Additionally, Brown was married to music icon Whitney Houston for over a decade.
Early Life
Robert Barisford Brown was born on February 5, 1969, in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised within Orchard Park Projects of Roxbury as one of eight children. At three years old, Brown saw musician James Brown perform in his hometown and this inspired his dream to be a performer; eventually joining his church’s choir.
Brown experienced an impoverished childhood that was filled with violence. His parents–a substitute teacher and construction worker–could not afford some of the things he desired as a child, so Brown and his friends eventually turned to theft for survival. At eleven years old, one of Brown’s closest friends was tragically stabbed to death by one of those close to him.
In 1981, 12-year-old Brown and two of his childhood friends formed the band New Edition with the manager’s nephew joining them; by 1983 they had officially become a quintet. Although New Edition enjoyed several successful tours, albums, and singles over their tenure together, Brown would later reveal that while in the group bobby brown net worth was “$500 and a VCR”. After leaving in 1986 to pursue his solo career, he would begin recording albums again.
Success
In 1986, Brown released his first solo album, King of Stage. It sold moderately well; however, it wasn’t until he joined forces with R&B songwriter/producers Teddy Riley, L.A. Reid, and Babyface that his second album Don’t Be Cruel (1988) truly took off – eventually selling over 12 million copies worldwide.
Brown achieved fame in the 1980s and 1990s for his hits “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Humpin’ Around,” but his musical success was somewhat overshadowed by his highly publicized relationship with pop singing sensation Whitney Houston in the late 1990s.
In 1989, Brown made his film debut as the Mayor’s doorman in Ghostbusters II. Subsequently, he appeared as all three characters from Three Blind Mice on HBO Kids’ show Mother Goose Rock ‘n Rhyme in 1990.
At the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, Brown reunited with New Edition for a performance that led to their 1996 album Home Again. Later in 2005 and 2009 respectively, New Edition performed at both the BET 25th anniversary special and at Michael Jackson’s memorial BET Awards. As of 2016, these two continue their collaborative performances together.
In 2005, Brown signed a deal with Bravo for the reality series Being Bobby Brown. The Hollywood Reporter described it as “undoubtedly one of the most disgusting and execrable series ever to ooze its way onto television.” Despite receiving bad reviews during its initial season, the show gave Bravo its highest ratings during that particular time slot. Ultimately, however, Houston refused to return for another season of the show in 2006.
Bobby Brown had planned to release a tell-all book entitled Bobby Brown: The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But in 2008 but pulled out after controversial statements made about Houston were leaked to the media. Handspike eventually released the book following Houston’s passing in 2009.
Personal Life
Unfortunately, just when Brown’s music career was reaching its height, his personal life spiraled out of control. He earned a reputation for hard partying and womanizing during this period.
On July 18th, 1992, Brown and Houston tied the knot at Houston’s estate. Soon after, they welcomed their only daughter Bobbi Kristina into their lives. Unfortunately, during 15 years of marriage filled with heavy drinking, drug use, infidelity, and domestic violence – Brown being arrested multiple times for DUI driving, battery, etc., tabloids had plenty of material to work with; eventually ending in divorce in 2007.
In 2009, Brown welcomed their son Cassius with his manager and girlfriend of two years, Alicia Etheredge. They got engaged in May 2010 and were married during a ceremony held in Maui in June 2012. Since their union, the couple has welcomed two daughters: Bodhi Jameson Rein (2015) and Hendrix Estelle Sheba (2016).
Before Brown’s relationships with Houston and Etheredge began, he fathered three children from two separate women: Melika Williams gave birth to Landon in 1986, while Kim Ward gave birth to La’Princia and Bobby Jr. respectively in 1989 and 1992.
On February 11, 2012, Whitney Houston was found dead at the Beverly Hilton. A coroner’s report revealed she had accidentally drowned in her bathtub due to heart disease and cocaine use; just three years later Bobbi Kristina was also discovered unconscious in her bathtub and passed away months later in hospice care at 22 years old.
Whitney Houston’s Estate
When Houston passed away, she was still technically $20 million in debt to Sony/Arista. However, through the sale of singles, albums, and merchandise her estate earned enough revenue to fully pay off this loan – plus an additional $20 million windfall for 19-year-old Bobbi Kristina as her sole heir.
At Bobbi’s death, she had only collected about 10% of the trust and any money up to that point–roughly $2 million–went to her closest living relative–Bobby Brown (the remainder of Houston estate now controlled by Houston’s mother and two brothers).
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