Rihanna & Chris Brown: Relationship in pictures

The Barbados-born Rihanna and Virginia-born Chris Brown both hit the airwaves in 2005 with their debut singles. After signing with Jay-Z‘s label, Def Jam Recordings, Rihanna had a summer hit with “Pon de Replay” at age 17.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Rihanna‘s third album, “Good Girl Gone Bad,” proved her biggest hit yet with rotation-heavy singles such as “Umbrella,” “Don’t Stop the Music” and “Take a Bow.” It was around this time that the singer drastically cut her hair and began to take a more grown-up approach to her image and sound.  (Peter Kneffel / EPA)

Brown’s big success followed on the heels of Rihanna‘s in 2007 with the release of his album “Exclusive.” The album included the first single “Kiss, Kiss” and the ballad “With You” among others. Early the next year, rumors ran rampant about the emerging couple although they insisted for months that they were “just friends.”  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Rihanna and Brown performed at a number of radio station-hosted Jingle Ball concerts this past December, including this one at Madison Square Garden in New York. The two got close while performing “Umbrella” together on stage, but they continued to walk red carpets separately until the Feb. 8 alleged incident.  (Scott Gries / Getty Images)

Before the alleged incident took place, the pair attended music mogul Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy party and kept close throughout the evening. According to reports, the incident occurred shortly after the pair left the party, with Brown reportedly punching Rihanna and threatening to kill her.  (Kevin Mazur / WireImage)

Although it was first reported that both singers would miss the Grammy Awards because of a car accident, word slowly leaked the night of the ceremony about the assault. Later in the week, TMZ obtained a police photo documenting the bruises and cuts allegedly given to Rihanna by Brown.   (Aaron Favila / Associated Press)

A month after the incident, Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna. He was sentenced to five years’ probation, enrollment in a domestic violence counseling program and 180 days of community service in his native state of Virginia. The judge also ordered Brown to stay away from Rihanna and cut off all communication with her.   (Lori Shepler / Associated Press)

Six months had passed since the assault and Rihanna began dating Los Angeles Dodger Matt Kemp. In an interview with Marie Claire UK magazine, Riri suggested Kemp had shined a new light in her life. “I feel like I smile for real this time,” she told the magazine. “The smiles come from inside, and it exudes in everything I do. People feel my energy is different. When I smile they can tell that it’s pure bliss and not just a cover up.” After nearly a year of dating, long-distance woes led the pair to split.  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

Chris Brown also moved on and started seeing model Karrueche Tran. The pair dated for two years, took a break and later rekindled their relationship.   (Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images, left; Charley Gallay / Getty Images, right)

Nearly two years after Brown was charged with assaulting Rihanna, the court lifted the “stay away” order, allowing Brown to speak to Rihanna as long as he didn’t bother her. Shortly after the new rules, Brown appeared on a segment of “Good Morning America.” When asked about Rihanna, Brown lashed out, breaking a window and leaving without notice.   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Somehow the troubled couple found their way back into each other’s arms. The songsters paired up, releasing remixed versions of Rihanna’s “Birthday Cake” and Brown’s “Turn Up the Music” featuring one another.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

One night at a New York City nightclub, Brown got into a brawl with rapper Drake. Drake had previously told Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show, “[Rihanna and I] had our moment.” After the scuffle, Brown tweeted a photo of his injured chin. Drake later told GQ magazine that the entire fight was “embarrassing,” adding, “I don’t want my name to be synonymous with that guy’s name. I wish we could sit down ... and talk it out man-to-man. But that’s not going to happen.”   ( Jason Merritt / Getty Images, left; Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times, right)

Rihanna and Chris Brown weren’t afraid to show the world they were an item — again — after all that had gone down between the two. Beginning in September 2012, the couple locked lips during the commercial break at the MTV Video Music Awards, appeared at a Christmas Lakers game side by side and cuddled up for the cameras at the 2013 Grammy Awards in February, as pictured above. Shutterbugs continued to snap photos of the pair whenever they hit the town or vacationed together.   (Christopher Polk / Getty Images)