Chris Brown’s parents, Joyce Hawkins and Clinton Brown, have been by his side through his ups and downs over the years.

After being discovered at the age of 13 and releasing his debut self-titled album in 2005 at 16, Chris experienced a meteoric rise in the world of R&B. Since then, he’s released 10 more albums including 2011’s Grammy Award-winning F.A.M.E.

“As a father, I couldn’t be more proud,” Clinton told PEOPLE in 2009 of his only son. “He’s the light of my life.”

But for all of Chris’ successes in the music industry, he’s also experienced his fair share of legal troubles. His problems with the law began back in 2009 when he physically assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna.

Chris was arrested and pled guilty to felony assault — and since then, he’s faced several other legal problems including being banned from performing in certain countries, being arrested multiple times, being sued for sexual assault (Brown’s lawyer denied the allegations to TMZ and the case was settled out of court in 2020) and allegedly beating up a man in a London nightclub (his rep and lawyer did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment). However, both Clinton and Joyce have defended Chris in the wake of his various controversies.

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And while Chris has faced his fair share of public backlash for his legal issues, the R&B star said he is most concerned with how his actions affect his parents. It was particularly difficult for Chris to face his mother Joyce, who was a victim of domestic violence herself, after his 2009 arrest, he revealed in the 2017 documentary  Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life. But the person he was most worried about disappointing was his father, Clinton — who he called “a great man.”

“The hardest person to … talk about it to would be, I would say probably my father. My real father,” Chris said about his arrest following his assault on Rihanna. “I don’t want to disappoint my father because he actually was there for me.”

From how they helped launch his career to their influence on his music, here’s everything to know about Chris Brown’s parents, Clinton Brown and Joyce Hawkins.

Clinton worked as a correctional officer and at a gas station

Clinton worked as a correctional officer in a local prison near where Chris and his family lived in Tappahannock, Va., according to The Guardian. In addition, Clinton also had another job — and this role is what eventually led to Chris being discovered.

“His father worked at the gas station,” Joyce recalled in Welcome to My Life. “There was a guy that came by and said he was looking for some talent, and his father said, ‘Well, my son sings.’ ”

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Joyce ran a childcare facility for 25 years

Joyce served as the director of a daycare facility in Tappahannock and Chris often spent time with her there.

“He started out in childcare, because I ran a childcare center,” the mom-of-two recalled in Welcome To My Life. “He was probably one of the most active child in the facility itself.”

Chris also has memories of his time spent at his mother’s job. In a 2013 profile in The Guardian, he opened up about his childhood.

“When I was 3, I remember being at a daycare center and having to stay in a room with a bunch of little kids my age,” Chris recalled. “But I just felt like, ‘OK, I know what I’m doing, I know how to unlock the gate, I know how to get out.’ ”

He added, “My mom told me as a youngster I was always intellectual.”

For Joyce, working in childcare helped prepare her for raising her own children. She opened up on The Pascal Show in 2020 about her career and how it impacted Chris’ upbringing.

“It was, like, ordinary,” she said. “There was nothing different about raising my son because I ran a childcare facility for 25 years.”

They have two children together
Clinton and Joyce had two children together during their marriage. First, they welcomed a daughter named Lytrell Bundy, and Chris later joined the family on May 5, 1989.

Chris’ older sister is affectionately called “Tootie” by her family. “Happy Birthday Tootie!!” Joyce wrote on Instagram to her elder child in November 2023. “Sending love and peace your way!!”

Clinton and Joyce divorced when Chris was young
When Chris was 7 years old, Clinton and Joyce divorced.

“His mom and dad, you know, they had a great relationship,” Chris’ aunt Christine said in Welcome to My Life. “One day, they were all together and then it, you know, all fell apart.”

Despite their breakup, Clinton and Joyce co-parented their two children, with Chris splitting time between his mother and father. Though Clinton was still present in his son’s life, the divorce had a lasting impact on Chris and his childhood, Joyce revealed.

“Chris not having a father in the house made him grow up faster than what he actually had to,” she shared in the Netflix documentary. “It was a lot. It was more than I knew that he could handle.”

Joyce added, “He felt like he had to take care of me. ‘I gotta take care of my mom because my dad is not there. I’m the dad of the house’ … that’s how he thought and that’s actually what he said.”

Chris, though, has fond memories of his childhood with his mother and father, as he revealed on Larry King Live in 2009.

“For the most part, like, my mom and — and my dad, like, my actual biological father, we — they took care of me good,” Chris said about Joyce and Clinton.

Joyce was allegedly in an abusive relationship after their divorce