R Kelly – full name Robert Sylvester Kelly – turned himself in to police last night after being charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Chicago, USA. The R&B star was put in handcuffs when he entered a Chicago police station in the early hours of this morning and will appear in court today for a bail hearing. R Kelly’s life may have been filled with controversy but he has still managed to forge a successful career in the music industry. He has released numerous albums and won multiple awards – so what is his net worth?
R Kelly’s net worth is estimated to be $1 million, according to website Celebrity Net Worth.
Most of the wealth is believed to come from albums sales and touring, reported The Cheat Sheet. So far, R Kelly has sold more than 60 million albums and 15 million singles worldwide.
He first secured a recording contract in 1990 with his debut solo album, 12 Play, earning R Kelly his first No. 1 single on the US Billboard Hot 100 with Bump N’ Grind.
The song also reached No. 1 on Billboard’s US Hot R&B Songs chart.
The singer went on to win three Grammy Awards for his hit song I Believe I Can Fly, which was written and produced for the Space Jam film soundtrack.
He was named as the No. 1 R&B artist of the last 25 years by Billboard in 2011 as well as the most successful R&B artist of all time.
His net worth is believed to have taken a hit following his divorce in 2009 from dancer and actress Andrea Lee to whom he was married from 1996 to 2009. The pair have three children together.
His wealth also suffered from his many legal problems – he reportedly paid millions to women in order to settle lawsuits related to sexual misconduct allegations.
The R&B star has recently faced decades of sexual abuse claims against women and underage girls.
He has never been convicted and has previously denied other allegations.
His attorney Steve Greenberg told said his client was “extraordinarily disappointed and depressed” and allegedly maintains his innocence.
If R Kelly is convicted he could face a maximum of seven years for each count which could span the rest of his life.
A documentary series called Surviving R. Kelly aired just weeks before his indictment which includes allegations of abuse against him from many women including his own wife.
After the series aired, attorney Kim Foxx of Cook County, Illinois urged other women to come forward.
The social media #MuteRKelly campaign has grown to stop his music being played along with other movements.
Singer Lady Gaga, who had previously recorded a suggestive 2013 duet with Kelly, Do What U Want (With My Body), apologised for the song, removed it from streaming services and vowed to never work with him again.
Political analyst Zerlina Maxwell who describes herself as a survivor of sexual assault thinks it took longer to indict R. Kelly because of the race of the victims.
She said: ”It took this long to indict R.Kelly because the victims are Black girls.”