R. Kelly

Robert Sylvester Kelly is an American singer, songwriter, producer and philanthropist. He has sold over 75 million records worldwide, making him the most successful R&B male artist of the 1990s. Kelly has been the subject of numerous allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct, often with underage girls, all charges he denies. In 2002, he was indicted on 13 counts of child pornography, but was acquitted of all charges in 2008.

About R. Kelly in brief

Summary R. KellyRobert Sylvester Kelly is an American singer, songwriter, producer and philanthropist. He has sold over 75 million records worldwide, making him the most successful R&B male artist of the 1990s. Kelly has been the subject of numerous allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct, often with underage girls, all charges he denies. In 2002, he was indicted on 13 counts of child pornography, but was acquitted of all charges in 2008. On July 11, 2019, Kelly was arrested on federal charges alleging sex crimes, human trafficking, child porn, racketeering, and obstruction of justice. As a result, he is currently incarcerated at Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago. Kelly is the 55th best-selling music artist in the United States, with over 32 million album sales. Kelly was named by Billboard as the Top R&bHip Hop Artist between 1985-2010 and the most success R& B artist in history. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for writing Michael Jackson’s song “You Are Not Alone” in 1996. In 1998, Kelly won three Grammy Awards for \”I Believe I Can Fly. Kelly was born at Chicago Lying-in Hospital in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago on January 8, 1967. His mother, Joanne Kelly, was a professional singer who raised her children in the Baptist church, where she sang lead in the choir. The identity of his father, who has always been absent in Kelly’s life, is not publicly known.

Kelly grew up in a house full of women, who he said would act differently when his mother and grandparents were not home. Kelly’s high school music teacher Lena McLin described Kelly’s childhood home: “It was bare. One table, two chairs. There was no father there, I knew that, and they had very little” Kelly was eight when he had his first girlfriend, Lulu. They would hold hands and eat make-believe meals inside their playhouse built from cardboard where they would forever be together. Kelly wrote his autobiography that their last date turned tragic when Lulu was pushed into a creek by some older children over a play area. Shortly thereafter, her lifeless body was found downstream. A family friend stated that Kelly shot himself while attempting suicide. Kelly calls Lulu his first musical inspiration. He met Stevie Wonder in the fall of 1981, where he was encouraged to perform the Stevie classic “Ribbon in the Sky” in the high school talent show. He is married to his long-term girlfriend, Toni Kelly, with whom he has two children, a son, and a daughter. The couple have a son and daughter, who was born in 2008 and a son-in-law, who is also a singer-songwriter. Kelly and his wife have a daughter, Tanya Kelly, who they have had two children together. The family has a son named R.J. Kelly, a former NFL linebacker who played for the Chicago Bears.