On Wednesday, R. Kelly, the US singer and songwriter, was finally sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for sex charges.
His sentencing had come after he was convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking in September last year.
The 55-year-old singer, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, has been in a protracted legal battle over sexual assault and child pornography allegations since the 1990s.
TheCable Lifestyle examines major events that led to the conviction and eventual sentence of the award-winning musician.
August 31, 1994: This was R.Kelly’s first case of sex with underage girls. Then 27, Kelly illegally tied the knot with 15-year-old singer Aaliyah in a secret ceremony. He was said to have obtained a fake ID for Aaliyah that showed she was 18 to avoid prosecution for statutory rape.
The union was eventually annulled due to Aaliyah’s age. She later died in a 2001 plane crash at the age of 22.
December 1996: Two years after his affair with Aaliyah, Kelly was in the news again for sexual abuse allegations. Tiffany Hawkins, a woman from Chicago, had claimed that the musician had sex with her when she was 15.
