BOBBY BROWN ENGAGED

For concertgoers at Metro Park in Jacksonville, Fla., on Friday, the hottest ticket at the annual Funk Fest wasn't the performance by '90s girl group SWV or the line for fruity refreshments as temperatures climbed into the 90s. It was watching singer Bobby Brown propose to his girlfriend of nearly three years, manager Alicia Etheridge.

Etheridge joined Brown on stage, holding their 11-month-old son Cassius, he got down on one knee and presented her with a ring. The crowd roared its approval as a beaming Etheridge kissed Brown, who remained kneeling.

Brown had a troubled 15-year marriage to Whitney Houston.