Editing Aaliyah (section)

===Illegal marriage===
Aaliyah reportedly developed an [[intimate relationship]] with Kelly during the recording of her debut album. She told [[Vibe (magazine)|''Vibe'' magazine]] in 1994 that she and Kelly would "go watch a movie" and "go eat" when she got tired and would then "come back and work". She described the relationship between her and Kelly as "rather close."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://b96.cbslocal.com/2011/08/31/r-kelly-and-aaliyah-secretly-married-on-this-day-in-1994/|title=R. Kelly And Aaliyah Secretly Married On This Day In 1994|date=August 31, 2011|publisher= [[WBBM-FM|Chicago's B96]] | website= b96.cbslocal.com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141027105639/http://b96.cbslocal.com/2011/08/31/r-kelly-and-aaliyah-secretly-married-on-this-day-in-1994/|archive-date=October 27, 2014}}</ref> In December 1994, Aaliyah told the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' that whenever she was asked about being married to Kelly, she urged them not to believe "all that mess" and that she and Kelly were "close" and "people took it the wrong way".<ref name=WBEZ>{{cite news|url=http://www.wbez.org/blogs/jim-derogatis/2013-07/timeline-life-and-career-r-kelly-107973|title=Timeline: The life and career of R. Kelly|publisher=[[WBEZ 91.5 Chicago]]|access-date=August 19, 2014|archive-date=February 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216234843/http://www.wbez.org/blogs/jim-derogatis/2013-07/timeline-life-and-career-r-kelly-107973}}</ref>

With the release of ''Age Ain't Nothing but a Number'', rumors circulated about a relationship between Aaliyah and R. Kelly,<ref name="The Independent"/><ref name="Kenyatta">{{harvnb|Kenyatta|2002|p=25|Ref=none}}</ref> including the allegation that they had [[Elopement|secretly married]] without her parents' knowledge.<ref name=suntimes2000>{{cite news|url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/kelly/939951,kellya.article |title=Kelly accused of sex with teenage girls |date=December 21, 2000 |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516005806/http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/kelly/939951%2Ckellya.article |archive-date=May 16, 2008}}</ref><ref name="Vibe">{{cite web |url= http://www.vibe.com/news/online_exclusives/2008/09/rkelly_day_part3/ |title=R. Kelly: Indecent Proposal |date=September 18, 2008 |work=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]] |access-date=May 14, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080919171519/http://www.vibe.com/news/online_exclusives/2008/09/rkelly_day_part3/ |archive-date=September 19, 2008 }}</ref> ''Vibe'' magazine later revealed a marriage certificate that listed the couple married on August 31, 1994, in Sheraton Gateway Suites in [[Rosemont, Illinois]].<ref name="Vibe" /> Aaliyah, [[Minor (law)|who was 15 at the time]], was listed as 18 on the certificate; R. Kelly was 27. The marriage was [[Annulment|annulled]] by her parents in February 1995, but the pair denied the allegations, saying that neither was married and that the certificate was a forgery.<ref name="Kenyatta" /><ref name="Vibe" />

[[Jamie Foster Brown]] in the 1994 issue of ''[[Sister 2 Sister]]'' wrote that "R. Kelly told me that he and Aaliyah got together, and it was just magic." Brown also reported hearing about a sexual relationship between them. "I've been hearing about Robert and Aaliyah for a while—that she was pregnant. Or that she was coming and going in and out of his house. People would see her walking his dog, 12 Play, with her basketball cap and sunglasses on. Every time I asked the label, they said it was platonic. But I kept hearing complaints from people about her being in the studio with all those men." Brown later added "at 15, you have all those hormones and no brains attached to them".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dywEAAAAMBAJ&q=aaliyah&pg=PA56|work=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]|date=December 1994|title=R. Kelly marriage to Aaliyah|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407192011/https://books.google.com/books?id=dywEAAAAMBAJ&q=aaliyah&pg=PA56#v=snippet&q=aaliyah&f=false|archive-date=April 7, 2022}}</ref>

In his 2011 book ''The Man Behind the Man: Looking from the Inside Out'', Demetrius Smith Sr., Kelly's former tour manager, revealed that Kelly married Aaliyah after she told him that she was pregnant.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://s2smagazine.com/2011/05/25/did-rkelly-impregnate-aaliyah/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084043/http://s2smagazine.com/2011/05/25/did-rkelly-impregnate-aaliyah/|archive-date=August 19, 2014|title=Did R. Kelly impregnate Aaliyah?|date=May 25, 2011|publisher=[[S2SMagazine.com]]|access-date=March 15, 2016}}</ref> In the 2019 documentary ''[[Surviving R. Kelly]]'', Smith described how he helped Aaliyah forge the necessary documents to show she was 18 to marry Kelly.<ref>{{cite news|last=Moghe|first=Sonia|date=August 21, 2021|title=Former R. Kelly tour manager reluctantly testifies about the singer's marriage to Aaliyah|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/21/us/r-kelly-trial-testimony-friday/index.html|url-status=live|access-date=December 11, 2021|website=CNN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821162312/https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/21/us/r-kelly-trial-testimony-friday/index.html |archive-date=August 21, 2021 }}</ref> Smith also said he was "not proud" of his role in facilitating their marriage.<ref>{{cite web|title='Surviving R. Kelly' Shares Disturbing New Details About His Reported Marriage To Aaliyah|url=https://www.essence.com/entertainment/r-kelly-aaliyah-marriage-new-details/|access-date=December 11, 2021|website=Essence|date=October 23, 2020|language=en-US|archive-date=July 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720200130/https://www.essence.com/entertainment/r-kelly-aaliyah-marriage-new-details/|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, the documentary revealed that Jovante Cunningham, a former backup dancer, claimed to have witnessed Kelly having sex with Aaliyah on his tour bus.<ref name="dashpeople" />

Aaliyah admitted in court documents that she had [[Age fabrication|lied about her age]]. In May 1997, she filed suit in Cook County seeking to have all records of the marriage expunged because [[Void marriage|she was not old enough under state law to get married without her parents' consent]]. It was reported that she cut off all professional and personal ties with Kelly after the marriage was annulled and ceased contact with him.<ref name=suntimes2000/> In a 2014 interview, Aaliyah's cousin Jomo Hankerson said that she "got villainized" for her relationship with Kelly and the scandal over the marriage made it difficult to find producers for her second album. "We were coming off of a multi-platinum debut album and except for a couple of relationships with Jermaine Dupri and Puffy, it was hard for us to get producers on the album." Hankerson also expressed confusion over why "they were upset" with Aaliyah given her age at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7487855/aaliyah-one-in-a-million-album-anniversary|title=Aaliyah's 'One In a Million' Turns 20: How Her Second Album Predicted R&B's Future|last=Partridge|first=Kenneth|date=August 27, 2016|magazine=Billboard|access-date=July 14, 2018|archive-date=September 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915140621/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7487855/aaliyah-one-in-a-million-album-anniversary|url-status=live}}</ref>

Aaliyah was known to avoid answering questions about Kelly after the professional split. During an interview with Christopher John Farley, she was asked whether she was still in contact with him and would ever work with him again. Farley said Aaliyah responded with a "firm, frosty 'no{{' "}} to both questions.<ref>Farley 2002, p. 162.</ref> ''Vibe'' magazine said Aaliyah changed the subject anytime "you bring up the marriage with her".<ref name=Vibe2001CoverStory /> A spokeswoman for Aaliyah said in 2000 that when "R. Kelly comes up, she doesn't even speak his name, and nobody's allowed to ask about it at all."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/12/09/why-has-the-public-forgiven-r-kelly-for-his-sordid-predatory-past.html|title=Why Has the Public Forgiven R. Kelly for His Sordid, Predatory Past?|date=December 9, 2013|work=[[The Daily Beast]]|access-date=August 15, 2014|archive-date=December 9, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131209175721/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/12/09/why-has-the-public-forgiven-r-kelly-for-his-sordid-predatory-past.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Kelly later said that Aaliyah had opportunities to address their relationship after they separated professionally but chose not to.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/01/r-kelly-speaks-on-cosby-aaliyah-rape.html|title=R. Kelly Gets Painfully Candid About Bill Cosby, Aaliyah, and Rape Accusations|date=January 20, 2016|publisher=Vulture|access-date=February 20, 2020|archive-date=July 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720183215/https://www.vulture.com/2016/01/r-kelly-speaks-on-cosby-aaliyah-rape.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2019, [[Damon Dash]] revealed to ''Hip Hop Motivation'' that Aaliyah did not even speak of her relationship with Kelly in private; he tried multiple times to discuss it with her, but she would only say that Kelly was a "bad man".<ref name="dashpeople">{{cite web |last1=Hohman |first1=Maura |title=Aaliyah's Ex Boyfriend Says She Wouldn't Talk About R. Kelly: 'It Was So Much Hurt for Her' |url=https://people.com/music/aaliyah-ex-boyfriend-says-she-couldnt-talk-about-r-kelly/ |website=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=January 10, 2019 |language=en |access-date=January 11, 2019 |archive-date=July 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720172950/https://people.com/music/aaliyah-ex-boyfriend-says-she-couldnt-talk-about-r-kelly/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Dash said he was unable to watch ''Surviving R. Kelly'' because its interviews with visibly traumatized girls struggling to discuss their encounters with Kelly reminded him of how Aaliyah behaved when trying to recount her relationship with Kelly.<ref name="dashpeople" /> Dash later appeared in ''[[Surviving R. Kelly#Season 2: Part II: The Reckoning (2020)|Surviving R. Kelly, Part II]]'' in 2020.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ryan|first=Patrick|date=January 2, 2020|title='Surviving R. Kelly, Part II': Aaliyah was a 'sacrificial lamb' in alleged abuse 'cover-up'|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2020/01/02/surviving-r-kelly-part-ii-aaliyah-wanted-singer-keep-away/2799271001/|url-status=live|access-date=December 11, 2021|website=USA Today|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103033958/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2020/01/02/surviving-r-kelly-part-ii-aaliyah-wanted-singer-keep-away/2799271001/ |archive-date=January 3, 2020 }}</ref>

Other allegations were made about Kelly regarding underage girls in the years after Aaliyah's death, and their marriage was used as an example of his involvement with them.<ref>{{cite web|last=Grady|first=Constance|date=April 25, 2018|title=Sexual misconduct allegations against R. Kelly spanning 25 years, in one timeline|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/4/25/17248084/r-kelly-sexual-misconduct-allegations-timeline|access-date=December 11, 2021|website=Vox|language=en|archive-date=December 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211063959/https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/4/25/17248084/r-kelly-sexual-misconduct-allegations-timeline|url-status=live}}</ref> He has refused to discuss his relationship with her, citing her death. "Out of respect for her, and her mom and her dad, I will not discuss Aaliyah. That was a whole other situation, a whole other time, it was a whole other thing, and I'm sure that people also know that."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/r/r_kelly/news_feature_051304/index4.jhtml |title=R. Kelly: When The Gavel Drops |publisher=MTV News |date=May 13, 2004 |first=Jennifer |last=Vineyard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101024003/http://www.mtv.com/bands/r/r_kelly/news_feature_051304/index4.jhtml |archive-date=January 1, 2015 }}</ref> In 2016, Kelly said that he was as in love with Aaliyah as he was with "anybody else."<ref>{{cite news|date=January 22, 2016|title=R. Kelly Addresses Relationship With Aaliyah, Allegations in Child Pornography Case|publisher=NBC Chicago|url=http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/R-Kelly-Addresses-Relationship-With-Aaliyah-Allegations-in-Child-Pornography-Case-366218351.html|access-date=January 30, 2016|archive-date=January 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124213652/http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/R-Kelly-Addresses-Relationship-With-Aaliyah-Allegations-in-Child-Pornography-Case-366218351.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Aaliyah's mother, Diane Haughton, reflected that everything "that went wrong in her life" began with her relationship with Kelly.<ref name=WBEZ />

After the documentary ''Surviving R. Kelly'' aired in January 2019, pressure from the public using the [[Mute R. Kelly]] [[hashtag]] escalated and [[RCA Records]] dropped Kelly from the label.<ref name="Aswad Aswad 2019">{{cite web | last=Aswad | first=Jem | title=R. Kelly Dropped by Sony Music | website=Variety | date=January 18, 2019 | url=https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/r-kelly-dropped-sony-music-1203106180/| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210928/https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/r-kelly-dropped-sony-music-1203106180/| archive-date=September 28, 2021 | access-date=January 18, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In February 2019, Kelly was indicted on ten counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.<ref name="BBCCharge">{{cite news |title=R Kelly: Singer charged with sexual abuse in Chicago |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-47338368| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210928/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-47338368| archive-date=September 28, 2021 |access-date=February 22, 2019 |date=February 22, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In July 2019, he was arrested on federal charges of sex crimes, [[human trafficking]], child pornography, [[racketeering]], and [[obstruction of justice]].<ref name="chicagotribune.com">[https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-r-kelly-arrested-federal-charges-20190712-6ghntysw3zf3lpncn4owcfzyje-story.html "R. Kelly arrested in Chicago after being indicted by federal grand jury on new sex crime charges"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927223200/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-r-kelly-arrested-federal-charges-20190712-6ghntysw3zf3lpncn4owcfzyje-story.html |date=September 27, 2021 }}, ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', July 11, 2019.</ref> When his trial began in August 2021, Kelly faced 22 federal criminal charges that involved allegedly abusing 11 girls and women between 1994 and 2018.<ref>{{cite web|first=Anastasia|last=Tsioulcas|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/03/13/815500741/new-york-federal-prosecutors-file-new-charges-against-r-kelly| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313214619/https://www.npr.org/2020/03/13/815500741/new-york-federal-prosecutors-file-new-charges-against-r-kelly| archive-date=March 13, 2020|title=New York Federal Prosecutors File New Charges Against R. Kelly|website=[[NPR]]|language=en|date=March 13, 2020|access-date=January 29, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Aaliyah's illegal marriage to Kelly was heavily featured in the court case.<ref>{{Cite news|last=O'Brien|first=Rebecca Davis|date=September 22, 2021|title=27 years later, R. Kelly's illegal marriage to Aaliyah is at the center of the case against him.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/22/nyregion/aaliyah-r-kelly.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/22/nyregion/aaliyah-r-kelly.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=limited|access-date=December 11, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref> On September 27, 2021, a federal court jury found Kelly guilty of nine counts including [[racketeering]], [[Child sexual abuse|sexual exploitation of a child]], [[kidnapping]], bribery, [[sex trafficking]], and a violation of the [[Mann Act]]. The judge ordered that Kelly remain in custody pending sentencing, which was set for May 4, 2022.<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=September 27, 2021|title=R Kelly found guilty on racketeering and sex trafficking charges|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/27/r-kelly-racketeering-sex-trafficking|url-status=live|access-date=September 27, 2021|website=the Guardian|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927193026/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/27/r-kelly-racketeering-sex-trafficking |archive-date=September 27, 2021 }}</ref> On June 29, 2022, Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-61989606|title=R. Kelly given 30 years in jail for sex abuse|website=BBC|date=June 29, 2022|access-date=June 29, 2022|archive-date=June 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629191410/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-61989606|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/29/r-kelly-sentenced-sexual-abuse|title=R Kelly sentenced to 30 years on sexual abuse charges- The R&B singer, 55, had been found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering involving women, girls and boys|website=The Guardian|last=Salam|first=Eram|date=June 29, 2022|access-date=June 29, 2022|archive-date=June 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629191824/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/29/r-kelly-sentenced-sexual-abuse|url-status=live}}</ref>