WHITNEY FILES FOR DIVORCE FROM BOBBY BROWN

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The tumultuous marriage of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown -- which withstood drug addiction, Brown's numerous arrests, the decline of Houston's once-sparkling image and domestic abuse allegations -- is coming to an end.

The Grammy-winning, superstar singer filed papers in Orange County Superior Court on Friday requesting a legal separation from her husband of 14 years. The reason given was irreconcilable differences.

"It is a legal separation. It is not a divorce or a divorce petition," Phaedra Parks, an entertainment lawyer in Atlanta who represents Brown, told The Associated Press.

Houston's publicist, Nancy Seltzer, said the singer would have no comment on the action.

Asked about speaking with Brown, Parks said, "Bobby's not speaking with anyone at this time."

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

According to the court documents, mother and daughter now reside in Laguna Hills, California.

Houston asked that she be granted custody of the girl and that Brown be allowed visitation rights. She asked that property rights be determined later.

When the couple wed in 1992 the union seemed to outsiders to be a mismatch. Houston -- 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.

But as the years wore on, it would become hard to determine which one was more troubled. Brown -- best known for hits like "My Prerogative" and "Every Little Step" -- would be arrested numerous times for drugs and alcohol, and once for hitting his wife, while Houston's own battles with substance abuse sullied her image


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