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Rihanna & Chris Brown: Relationship in pictures

Looking back

It seemed like a match made in heaven, but the romance between pop stars Chris Brown and Rihanna ended with tragedy. First, Brown was arrested for allegedly beating Rihanna after a pre-Grammy party, then he was charged with two felonies and later sentenced to five years of probation, 180 hours of community labor, a yearlong domestic violence class and an order to stay at least 100 yards away from Rihanna for the next five years.

Here’s a quick refresher on their relationship. (Matt Sayles / Associated Press)

Ladies first

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)

Brown’s turn

After landing a deal with Jive Records, then 16-year-old Brown burst onto the scene with the song “Run It” in fall 2005. Thanks to the song’s success, Brown became the first male artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart with his debut single. (Clay Patrick McBride)

Good girl gone gold

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)

With her

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)

In sync

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)

The calm before the storm

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)

The picture seen ‘round the Internet

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)

Consequences arrive

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)

Hear me out

While chaos swirled about the assault, Chris Brown issued a public apology to Rihanna via a two-minute YouTube video. “Since February, my attorney has advised me not to speak out, even though ever since the incident I wanted to publicly express my deepest regret and accept full responsibility,” Brown said. “What I did was unacceptable — 100 percent. I can only ask and pray that you forgive me, please.” (YouTube)

Moving on

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)

Moving on too

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)

New rules

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)

Back at it

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)

Other men

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)

Lovely love

In a revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey, Rihanna opened up about her feelings for “first love” Chris Brown. “I lost my best friend,” she told Winfrey. “Everything I knew switched — switched in a night — and I couldn’t control that, so I had to deal with that, and that’s not easy for me to understand.” (YouTube)

Leaving the past behind

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)

Going solo

For a while, Rihanna continued to post intimate photos of herself with Brown on Instagram. But Brown laid down the facts in an interview with an Australian radio station. “At the end of the day, shawty doing her own thing, she on the road. It’s always gonna be love. I’m a grown man, just gotta fast forward,” he said. “I’m always gonna love that person. I can’t be focused on wife-ing someone that young. I need to be the best Chris Brown I can be.” (Frank Micelotta / PictureGroup)