Table of Biography
R Kelly is a popular American personality who has won the Grammy Awards as an R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. The singer R Kelly is popular for his gospel-tinged vocals, highly sexualized lyrics, and accusations of wrongdoings.
Early Life
The talented singer was born on 8th January 1967, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Kelly is an American citizen and he follows the Baptism religion. Likewise, the singer’s sun sign is Capricorn and his age as of 2024 is fifty-seven years old.
R Kelly was born Robert Sylvester Kelly at Chicago Lying-in Hospital in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago to his parents.
The name of his mother is Joanne Kelly who was a professional singer and the lead singer of the choir in the Baptist church whereas there is no information about Kelly’s father.
He was raised by his mother only as a single parent in a Chicago housing project. Kelly has various siblings and he is the 3rd of 4 kids with an older sister and brother and a younger brother. The names of his siblings are Bruce Kelly, Carey Kelly, and Theresa Kelly.
At that time, his family was suffering from poverty and various hard work. Kelly’s childhood was very harsh and difficult as a woman used to frequently abuse him sexually.
The singer had written about all his experiences and the reason why he never revealed his childhood to anyone in his autobiography “Soulacoaster” in the year 2012.
At the age of eleven, Kelly was shot in the shoulder when he was riding his bike home. Kelly then had a not preserved learning disorder, which was also making hi, him hard to read and write. At that time, the singer also dropped out of high school.
As for education, he went to the Kenwood Academy. When he was young, Kelly was an athletic boy and used to play basketball in his high school. However, his music teacher Lena McLin gave him the advice to quit the sport and take music more seriously.
Caption: R Kelly when he was a kid (Source: Religion Unplugged)
R Kelly – Net Worth 2024
R Kelly has a good net worth of around $2 million as of 2024. The singer’s primary source of income is from his career as a singer, songwriter, and also as a record producer.
He could be one of the richest singers in the United States if he had been doing all legal things and been loyal to his partners. However, Kelly is still living a luxurious life alone and fulfilling his every need.
The singer has also gained some fame and millions of fans apart from the money and land.
Relationship Status
The artist has been in a romantic relationship with several girls till now. Kelly was the husband of Aaliyah with whom he was giving the tuition in August 1994.
As their wedding was secret and Aaliyah was just fifteen years old at that time, her parents disagreed about their wedding in February 1995. After that, there was a rumor that Kelly had a sexual relationship with Epic Records intern, Tracy Sampson.
She was just seventeen years old at that time and she later recorded a file of a $50 thousand civil suit against Kelly.
Similarly, Tiffany Hawkins also recorded a file of a $250 thousand lawsuit in opposition to Kelly for having a sexual relationship when she was just fifteen years old. It was also out that Kelly was dating a writer and journalist, Kim Dulaney, and a model, Bianca Darrington.
After that, Kelly was in a relationship with the singer, DeLeon Richards who was previously the wife of singer Gary Sheffield. Kelly was then dating Jara Everett who was told to sleep with anyone to be successful in the music field.
After that, it was out that the singer was having a sexual relationship with the former protégées Sparkle. Later, she reported in opposition to Kelly in a child pornography case and accused him. The singer then got to meet Andrea Kelly and was having a close bond.
At first, she was hesitant to date him as he already had other fifteen girlfriends. Their wedding was in 1996 and even gave birth to three kids.
They started having troubles in their marital life in the year 2005 and finally divorced in 2009. In the year 2013, it was out that Kelly was having a good time with K. Michelle after drinking.
Caption: R Kelly in court because of his misbehavior (Source: Vanity Fair)
Career and Professional Life
R Kelly first began singing in the church when he was just eight years old. After some years of experience in the streets of Chicago, Kelly officially began his career as a singer in the year 1991. He made a deal with Jive Records.
In the next year, he came up with his 1st album “Born Into The 90’s”. Kelly’s 1st album was a huge success together with the hits “Slow Dance (Hey Mr. Dj)” and “Honey Love”. In the year 1993, Kelly reached the No.1 single on the pop charts, “Bump N’ Grind”.
The singer was very close to his mom and she also used to take him to the church and clubs where she used to perform. Unfortunately, she passed away because of cancer in the year 1993. After his mother’s death, he resumed living with his nickname “Prince of Pillowtalk”.
The singer was praised as the king of R&B. In the year 1996, Kelly came up with “I Believe I Can Fly” which was another hit that also helped Kelly to achieve 3 Grammy awards in the year 1997.
Kelly has also worked with other popular artists such as the likes of Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and also Gladys Knight. In the ’90s, he was still the king of R&B.
In the year 1998, Kelly came up with his album “R” where he presented a duet with Celine Dion in “I’m Your Angel”. Kelly and Sean’s “Puffy” with “Satisfy You” in the year 1999 was out.
After 2 years, Kelly went on to join the rap king Jay-Z to create “Fiesta”. Kelly then brought “Write Me Back” in 2012. Since that time, he has been creating new music.
Caption: R Kelly performing on the stage (Source: ABC)
Body Measurements
Regarding the singer’s physical personality, R Kelly has a good height of 6 feet 1 inch or 185 cm. Kelly has a body weight of around 92 kg or 203 lbs. The singer has a pair of dark brown eyes with black hair color.
Also, he has a dark complexion with a dashing and stylish personality. The singer loves doing French braids in his hair and loves wearing sunglasses. The size of Kelly’s chest is 44 inches, the biceps is 14 inches, and the waist is 35 inches.
R Kelly – Social Media
The singer is active on social media. Kelly has an Instagram account where he has 1.3 million followers and a Twitter account where he is suspended as of now. The singer also has his own Facebook with more than 8 million followers.
He also has a YouTube channel under the name “RKellyTV” where he has gained 3.28 million subscribers. The singer’s social media accounts are full of his works only.