The shocking Surviving R. Kelly documentary series’ third and last installment revealed the extreme lengths the embattled musician took to hide the truth of his 1994 marriage and subsequent annulment to singer Aaliyah, then 15 years old.
Variety reports that Aaliyah’s father was upset about the marriage and had a significant impact on how it ended. As a result, Kelly, who obtained a 30-year prison term after being found guilty on all nine charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, was able to obtain a non-disclosure agreement from Aaliyah’s family, which stipulated that they would not file any charges against him once the marriage was dissolved. In return for their silence, Kelly gave her family the rights to his first three albums.
Also recall the fact that the minister who officiated the wedding between Kelly and the “Rock the Boat”singer, Nathan Edmond, was also asked to sign one back then as well but declined.
“I looked at it, I read it, then I kind of chuckled and said it wasn’t worth the paper it was written on,” heexplained during day 10 of Kelly’s New York federal trial in September of 2021. As a result, he instead gave the “Ignition” singer his word and vowed not to ever speak of the day and declined monetary compensation for his time.
During the trial, Kelly’s former tour manager Demetrius Smith testified that the entertainer illegally married Aaliyah because the 15-year-old was pregnant. Smith also admitted to bribing someone he knew at the welfare office with $500 in order to obtain a fake ID for the “One In a Million” singer so she and Kelly could get married.