Bobby Brown arrested for driving under the influence

Bobby Brown (R) leaves the funeral service of ex-wife pop singer Whitney Houston at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey February 18, 2012.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singer Bobby Brown, the ex-husband of late singer Whitney Houston, was arrested in Los Angeles on Monday on suspicion of driving under the influence, police said.

Brown, 43, was pulled over shortly after noon for talking on his cellphone while driving in the suburb of Reseda. Police suspected he had been drinking and he failed a sobriety test, said Los Angeles police Sgt. Mitzi Fierro.

Brown was booked and briefly jailed before being released. The singer will likely face formal charges at a later date.

Brown, who was married to Houston from 1992 to 2007, has had numerous run-ins with the law, including arrests for battery, drug possession, drunk driving and parole violations.

Houston, whose marriage and career was marked by drug addiction, died suddenly in February at a Beverly Hills hotel. Authorities said last week that she drowned accidentally in her bathtub and that she had cocaine in her system.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, Editing by Jill Serjeant)