Aaliyah was an American singer, actress and model and was once described as leaving an “indelible imprint on the music industry as a whole.” Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York. Aaliyah attended the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts and maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average through to her graduation. Aaliyah was signed to Blackground Records at the age of twelve, and it was there that she was introduced to R. Kelly, an American singer and record producer who became Aaliyah’s mentor. Rumors of an unlawful marriage between R. Kelly and an underage Aaliyah that were prevalent in the 1990s resurfaced this year with the release of the documentary “Surviving R. Kelly”. In the documentary, a backup dancer claims to have witnessed R. Kelly having sex with an under aged Aaliyah.

Demetrius Smith Sr., a former member of R. Kelly’s entourage, admits to helping Aaliyah forge the necessary documents showing that she was eighteen instead of her actual age of fifteen so that she could be married. R. Kelly would have other allegations made regarding his relationships with underage girls and his unlawful marriage to Aaliyah has been used to offer support to those claims. Aaliyah’s mother maintains that many of Aaliyah’s struggles in life were due to her relationship with R. Kelley.