R Kelly finally admits to ‘underage sexual contact’ with Aaliyah

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy R Kelly has finally admitted to having “underage sexual contact” with the late R&B singer Aaliyah. Kelly served as executive producer on Aaliyah’s 1994 debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number, and had previously denied rumours that he and his then-protégé had a sexual relationship. 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.” Kelly’s lawyers had previously attempted to dismiss claims by prosecutors that involved “Jane Doe #1” due to her “unfortunate passing… on 25 August 2001”, citing that “she is legally unavailable”. Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up In 2019, Kelly’s 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”.