What Is Bobby Brown's Net Worth?
Bobby Brown is an American R&B singer/songwriter who has a net worth of $2 million. Bobby Brown began his career as a member of the pop group New Edition before embarking on a successful solo career. Brown's solo debut album, "King of Stage," featured the hit single "Girlfriend," but it was his second album, "Don't Be Cruel," that catapulted him to stardom. The album included the chart-topping singles "My Prerogative" and "Every Little Step," earning him a Grammy Award. Throughout his career, Brown released several more albums and collaborated with various artists. However, his personal life often overshadowed his musical accomplishments, including his troubled marriage to singer Whitney Houston and struggles with substance abuse. Whitney died in 2012. Whitney and Bobby's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, died in 2015 at the age of 22.
Whitney Houston's Estate
At the time of her death, Whitney Houston was technically $20 million in debt to her record company, Sony/Arista. Her estate eventually earned enough from the sale of singles, albums, and merchandise to completely pay off the loan, and it was even able to generate an additional $20 million windfall for Houston's sole heir: 19-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown.
When Bobbi died in 2015, she had only collected around 10% of the trust, and any money she had collected up to that point—roughly $2 million—went to her closest living relative. That person was Bobby Brown. Houston's mother and two brothers now control the remainder of the Houston estate.
Early Life
Bobby Brown was born Robert Barisford Brown on February 5, 1969, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was brought up in the Orchard Park Projects in Roxbury and is one of eight children. When Brown was three years old, he saw musician James Brown perform in his hometown, and this ignited his dream of being a performer. He would later join his church's choir.
Brown had an impoverished childhood that was marred by violence. His parents—a substitute teacher and a construction worker—were not able to afford some of the things he coveted as a child, so Bobby and his friends eventually resorted to stealing. A turning point in his life came when one of his close friends was stabbed to death at the age of 11.
New Edition
In 1981, 12-year-old Brown and two of his childhood friends formed the band New Edition. One year later, their manager's nephew joined the group, and they officially became a quintet. New Edition's 1983 debut album, "Candy Girl," reached #20 on the "Billboard" R&B singles chart. Despite having several successful tours, albums, and singles, Brown has claimed that he only made around "$500 and a VCR" while a member of the group. He left the band in 1986 to pursue his solo career.
Solo Career & Other Work
In 1986, Brown's first solo album, "King of Stage," was released and sold moderately well. It was not until he teamed up with R&B songwriters/producers Teddy Riley, L.A. Reid, and Babyface that his second album, "Don't Be Cruel" (1988), took the music world by storm. The album would eventually sell over 12 million copies.
Bobby became famous for his hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including "Don't Be Cruel" and "Humpin' Around," but his musical fame was somewhat overshadowed in the late 1990s by his highly publicized and troubled relationship with pop singing sensation Whitney Houston.
In 1989, Brown made his film debut with a cameo appearance as the Mayor's doorman in "Ghostbusters II." He then appeared in the HBO kids show "Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme," playing all three characters of "Three Blind Mice," in 1990.
Brown reunited with New Edition for a performance at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, which led to the group releasing the 1996 album "Home Again." New Edition would get together again for the 2005 BET 25th anniversary special and then at the 2009 BET Awards when they performed a number of Jackson 5 hits in honor of Michael Jackson. Brown and New Edition continue to perform together.
In 2005, Brown signed a deal with Bravo for the reality series "Being Bobby Brown." "The Hollywood Reporter" referred to the show as "undoubtedly the most disgusting and execrable series ever to ooze its way onto television." Although the show received bad reviews during its first season, it gave Bravo its highest ratings during its particular time slot. The show was canceled in 2006 after Houston refused to appear in a second season. In 2021, Bobby appeared in season five of "The Masked Singer," and in 2022, "Biography: Bobby Brown" and "Bobby Brown: Every Little Step" aired on A&E.
Bobby planned to release a tell-all book, "Bobby Brown: The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But" (written by author Derrick Handspike) in 2008. When controversial statements that Brown made about Houston were leaked to the media, he backed out of the project. Handspike ultimately released the book following Houston's death.
Via Getty Images
Personal Life
Unfortunately, just as Brown's music career was reaching a peak, his personal life spun out of control. He became known as a hard partier and a womanizer.
Brown and Houston tied the knot at Houston's estate on July 18, 1992. The couple welcomed their only daughter, Bobbi Kristina, in 1993. Their 15-year marriage was riddled with heavy drinking, drug use, infidelity, and domestic violence. Bobby was arrested multiple times for drunk driving, battery, and more. The couple's personal issues gave the tabloids tons of ammunition, and their union ultimately ended in divorce in 2007.
In 2009, Brown had a son, Cassius, with his manager and girlfriend of two years, Alicia Etheredge. They were engaged in May 2010 and were married in a ceremony in Hawaii in June 2012. Since their wedding, they have had two daughters: Bodhi Jameson Rein in 2015 and Hendrix Estelle Sheba in 2016.
Prior to Brown's relationships with Houston and Etheredge, he fathered three children with two different women. Melika Williams gave birth to Landon in 1986, and Kim Ward gave birth to La'Princia and Bobby Jr. in 1989 and 1992, respectively.
Whitney Houston passed away on February 11, 2012. Houston was found dead at the Beverly Hilton. The coroner's report revealed that she had accidentally drowned in the bathtub, and heart disease and cocaine use were both contributing factors. Just three years later, Bobbi Kristina was found unconscious in her bathtub and died months later in hospice care at the age of 22.
In November 2020, Bobby's son, Bobby Brown Jr., was found dead in his home at the age of 28.
