In 1994, when she was 15, Aaliyah said in an interview that she was rather close to Kelly, but denied that the pair had married. Nicknamed the "Princess of R&B," her trademark baggy pants and oversized shirt reminded women that you dont always have to wear a dress to look good. He has pleaded not guilty to racketeering, bribery, coercion, enticement and sex trafficking. In 2019, Kellys lawyer Steven Greenberg admitted that his client had married Aaliyah in 1994, but claimed that Kelly had no idea that the singer was 15 and that she had to lie about her age. A new book scheduled for release this summer makes the shocking claim that R.Kelly gave Aaliyah a gut full before he put a ring on it back in the day. After the marriage was annulled in 1995, Kelly continued to ascend in the music business, while Aaliyah blossomed into a superstar. Kelly denied he was the man in the videotape, and the girl in the video never testified. In her explosive new book, Baby Girl: Better Known As Aaliyah, biographer Kathy Iandoli claims the teen was forced to sign a legal document banning her from discussing emotional distress or physical harm caused by Kellys abuse. ( string(1) "3" The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Almost immediately after their marriage, Kelly and Aaliyah split, and her career thrived as wellshe sold more than two million copies of each of her next two albums, which she made with other producers, and launched a film career. R. Kelly was sentenced to 20 years in prison today in a Chicago courtroom after being charged with crimes against minors. When a prosecutor asked what Kelly needed protection from, Smith answered, "Shit. R. Kellys former tour R Kelly arrives in court in 2019, and the late Aaliyah in 2001. That broke my heart because I really believed him when he said he wasnt messing with Aaliyah. Singer Aaliyah (born Aaliyah Dana Haughton) not only revolutionized R&B music in the 90s with her fresh sound, but she also left her mark in the fashion world. In a statement to The Independent, Thomas A Farinella, one of the lawyers defending Kelly, wrote: The defence does concede that Mr Kelly had underage sexual contact with Jane Doe #1.. "When you wait 70 years, 50 years, 40 years, to say something that simple, it's strange, he told GQ. By a cruel twist of fate, she is today remembered for his alleged misdemeanours and not for the global star she was about to become. Hankerson has promised that more music is coming, including previously unreleased tracks, to the delight of Aaliyahs passionate fans, many of whom were born after her death, and whove primarily heard her music via unauthorized YouTube posts or illegal downloads. The marriage was presented as some sort of romance where they ran away together and secretly got married because they couldnt be apart. "Jane," an aspiring singer whobegan having sex with Kelly and moved in with him when she was only 17, also testified that Kelly forced her to get an abortion in 2017. [catid] => 4625 R. Kelly told his girlfriends he married Aaliyah so she could get an abortion, one woman testified. Her mother, her father, anybody else could speak and say whatever they wanted, he said. Two years later she signed for Blackground records, owned by her uncle, Barry Hankerson, who had been married to soul legend Gladys Knight. One of R. Kelly's Victims Claims They're Engaged, Nick Cannon Has Some Strong Swimmers! , / The first time that the late singers name was spoken in a courtroom as a victim of sexual abuse was two weeks ago, twenty years after her death. When her second album One In A Million was released, it was a huge hit, selling more than eight million copies worldwide. Here's What to Know, Here's What Chicago's Top 3 Mayoral Candidates Said on Election Night. 00:52. In what has been called the biggest music industry scandal since Michael Jackson stood trial in 2005 on charges of child molestation, the 54-year-old singer is accused of racketeering, sexual abuse and bribery in relation to his illegal marriage to Aaliyah and conduct with five other teenage girls. As more women step forward with their own stories of alleged sex abuse by disgraced rapper R Kelly, the voice of perhaps the most important witness will never be heard. The Fierce, Lasting Influence of Paramore. Since the 1990s, Kelly has been accused and convicted of several crimes, including prostitution, child abuse, sex trafficking and child pornography. [category_title] => However, Diana Copeland, who worked with the star for 15 years, painted a picture of the star's controlling behaviour that echoed earlier testimonies. Kelly would not address in his latest interview whether he was guilty or innocent in the case, saying his lawyers advised him not to have those kind of conversations, but said that when a person is found not guilty, theyre found not guilty.. And shortly after he began working with her, the defendant began to engage in sexual activity with her. It is unclear if Aaliyah's gravesite is currently accepting visitors given last year's incident. Aaliyahs career was bookended with tragedy and that makes it harder to focus on all the exceptional things she did with music. (A second, even bigger billboard stands in Times Square.) It was the follow-up to her 1994 debut Age Aint Nothing But A Number which she recorded when she was just 14, with R. Kelly writing and producing the tracks. The settlement also named two monitors to assure that Kelly and Aaliyah complied with its terms: an attorney for Kelly, and Barry Hankerson for Aaliyah. In the same year she also starred in Tommy Hillfiger jeans ad campaign. Apologies that fans cannot visit Aaliyah's resting place.". R. Kelly was sentenced to 20 years in prison today in a Chicago courtroom after being charged with crimes against minors. And she was someone who set the tone for every form of popular music that were listening to today.. It's like my little sister. The statement is raising some eyebrows because there was actual proof that Kelly married Aaliyah. On August 31, 1994, R. Kelly, 27, illegally married Aaliyah, who was only 15 years old, in Chicago. Just a few months before, on May 24, 1994, Aaliyahs debut album Age Aint Nothing But a Number was released, which Kelly wrote and produced. Kelly is on trial for a long list of allegations, including claims he and others bribed a government official to obtain a fake ID so Kelly could take Aaliyah as his child bride. By: MEGA was being cleared of three counts of conspiring to receive child pornography. The alleged incident took place a year before Mr Kelly illegally married the singer, when she was 15. She was a talented singer, and people thought that she could make it far in the industry, so the defendant began to produce and write music for Aaliyah when she was still a child. Kelly stands accused of sexually assaulting and impregnating Aaliyah when she was 15, around the time he married the "One in a Million" artist after procuring a fake ID for her. Smith testified that he and Kelly met Aaliyah through her uncle, Barry Hankerson, who was also Kelly's manager at the time. Aaliyah got an abortion and never had the baby. Numerous witnesses are expected to be called to the stand by Kellys prosecutors, including women who claim they were sexually and physically abused by the singer. In fact, she locked herself in a taxi, said she had a headache and she was handed a pill, which she took.. I have been told that fans have had my book there with them. "I recall him talking to me, and then forcefully kissing me and licking my face," Alex testified. Look at Jerry Lee Lewis, he once said, according to testimony from the witness stand in Brooklyn. Last year, R. Kelly's former tour manager Demetrius Smith was ordered to take the stand to discuss Aaliyah's pregnancy. 00:52. She added: "I closed the door abruptly and pushed the girl behind me away from the door.". Although some of the specifics are only coming out now in the courtroom, Kelly and Aaliyahs relationship was an open secret, and their marriage made headlines at the time. The R&B superstar's musical accomplishments have long been shadowed by allegations that he sexually abused women and children. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Something went wrong, please try again later. Twenty two white doves were released to symbolise each year of her life. (McDavid is one of two former Kelly employees indicted in the second federal case, brought by the Northern District of Illinois. In late 1994, Vibe magazine obtained a copy of the couples marriage certificate, which listed Kellys real age and Aaliyahs fraudulent one. } told GQ during an interview in his hometown of Chicago. While the others died on impact, her security guard Scott Gallin survived the impact, and spent his last moments worrying about Aaliyahs condition, according to ambulance drivers. Diane was believed to be referring to journalist Kathy Iandoli, who penned the book Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah. The star, who later emerged from Mr Kelly's shadow to become a successful recording artist in her own right, died in a plane crash in 2001. In an unrestricted interview with GQ Magazine, the Grammy winner spoke candidly about the allegations and his relationship with the then 15-year-old girl. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart for the first time. Mr Kelly told Alex to "just be open-minded", he testified. However, after claiming that an "individual" had "been to Aaliyah's resting place in order to promote a book," she canceled the event. In an excerpt leaked online former R.Kelly entourage member Demetrius Smith Sr writes, I think shes pregnant he said, in a voice that sounded as if he wanted to burst out in tears. Per Insider, Smith explained that Kellys relationship with Aaliyah started out as a mentorship, but turned romantic. Allegedly Aaliyah was said to have been pregnant by R. Kelly ahead of their marriage ceremony. Blessed with raw talent, looks and charisma, most observers were predicting that Aaliyahs fame would quickly go stratospheric. Per Black Enterprise, Iandoli's book was published without the consent of Aaliyah's family. Aged 11, she performed alongside Gladys Knight during five nights in Las Vegas and a year later was introduced to R Kelly, who became her mentor after she signed with Jive Records. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. [0]=> Mr Kelly's former assistant also testified on Monday, saying she did not witness any of the abusive behaviour alleged by other witnesses. Kelly then got on a plane and flew to the next show on the tour. *Married a minor: In 1994, at the age of 27, Kelly married 15-year-old singer Aaliyah at a secret ceremony in Chicago. She would have been 43 years old this year. A federal judge on Thursday handed the singer R Kelly a 20-year prison sentence for his convictions on child sexual abuse images and enticement of minors for WebSource: Getty ImagesAt age 15, Aaliyah was pregnant with R. Kellys baby. Kelly told his girlfriends he married Aaliyah so she could get an abortion, one woman testified. But, last week, he briefly addressed the situation during a radio interview with the comedian Rickey Smiley. By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. Im sure the public response hit like a hammer.. Oh man, Rob was all I could say at the time. A former tour manager for R. Kelly told jurors on Friday that he was with Kelly and the late singer Aaliyah the day they applied for a marriage license in 1994, when she was just 15 years old. Demetrius Smith, Kellys longtime friend and road manager, testified that McDavid gave him five hundred dollars in cash to bribe a Chicago-area official in order to secure a fake welfare card for Aaliyah; Smith also obtained a work I.D., allegedly from FedEx, from a friend of Kellys. }, array(1) { She got her first taste of fame at ten on the TV show Star Search. Aaliyah is the only Jane Doe included in charging documents who did not testify at Kellys trial because she died in a plane crash in 2001. I really found out I wasnt a hardcore criminal. It was a way to legalise his abuse.. Kelly was apparently aware of that earlier scandal, but unfazed by it. This rumor has been Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. The verdict ended a six-year saga that began when a videotape surfaced of a man looking likeKelly having sex with a girl believed to be as young as 13. 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