Bobby Brown opens up about how his bond with Mike Tyson became stronger after death of their kids

Bobby Brown recently touched on his relationship with Mike Tyson and how their bond became stronger in the wake of their children’s unfortunate deaths. The 55-year-old Grammy-winning singer spoke about how he became friends with the legendary boxer during a domestic violence charity event he organized in honor of his deceased daughter on March 4, PEOPLE reported.

“We go way back,” Brown said about Tyson during the event. “When he first started fighting and I first went solo we did a lot of hanging out together.” The 57-year-old former world heavyweight champion attended the event.

Brown’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina, tragically passed away in 2015 after she was found unresponsive in a bathtub at her Atlanta home. The 22-year-old’s death came after her mother, Whitney Houston, similarly passed away in 2012 after she was also found unresponsive in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton. But tragedy struck the 55-year-old Grammy winner again in 2020 after his son, Bobby Brown, Jr., died of an accidental overdose. He was 28 years old.

Tyson’s 4-year-old daughter, Exodus, passed away in 2009 after she got accidentally tangled in a cord. “His support is great,” Brown said about Tyson. “Him being a friend of mine and having someone else to talk to to get through, because he also lost a child, and just to have him as a friend, it means everything to me.”

Despite their losses, the New Edition singer said they try not to talk about that in their conversations. “We try to stay away from it,” Brown said. “It’s always in the foreground, but we try to keep each other on solid ground.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Brown spoke about Tyson’s upcoming fight with Jake Paul and said he was rooting for his friend. “He’s really looking forward to it,” Brown said. 

“I’m going to be there front and center, making sure that he does what he plans on doing. He’s going to hurt that boy. Mike’s in great shape. I don’t think that boy realizes who he actually signed a contract with.”