Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown in a photo from happier times in 2003 (Photo: xinhua)

Whitney Houston has filed for divorce from Bobby Brown after 14 years of marriage -- their often-turbulent relationship is coming to an end, according to entertainment news from U.S. Thursday.

When they wed in 1992 the union seemed to outsiders to be a mismatch. Houston -- once one of the best-selling singers in history -- was a glamorous, pop superstar with a super-clean, princess-like persona, whereas Brown, who rose to fame as a member of the boy band New Edition before striking out on his own, was a sometimes coarse R&B singer with a more street-wise image.

Rumors have been swirling for several years about the possible disintegration of Whitney and Bobby's marriage, but they always seemed to tough it out and keep their relationship intact.

It was hard to determine which one was more troubled -- Brown was arrested numerous times for drugs and alcohol, while Houston's own battles with substance abuse sullied her image.

What was it that finally triggered Whitney to take the final step? One answer could be that she had had enough of the bad press concerning her health, the attention of her name associated with Osama Bin Laden and Bobby's run-ins with the law. Another reason could be that she wanted to get her career singing back on track.

Whitney Houston began her singing career as a soloist in the junior gospel choir of the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. She cut her first record deal with Arista in 1983 and her first album was released two years later on Feb. 14, 1985. Songs such as"You Give Good Love" and "Greatest Love of All" gave the album the strength to sell 24 million copies worldwide, while her follow-up album, Whitney, launched on June 29, 1987, spawned such top charting hits as "I Want to Dance With Somebody," "Didn't We Almost Have it All," and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" In 1990, her next album I'm Your Baby Tonight, under performed as compared to her top sellers with only 12 million copies sold worldwide.

Houston and Brown, who had a home in Alpharetta, Georgia, have one child, 13-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina.

Editor: Donald