NEW YORK - On Wednesday, fallen R&B superstar R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison for using his fame to subject young fans — some just children — to systematic sexual abuse.The Grammy-winning, multiplatinum-selling singer and songwriter was convicted last year of racketeering and sex trafficking at a trial that gave voice to accusers who had previously wondered if their stories were being ignored because they were Black women.Part of the legal case involved his marriage to the late R&B singer Aaliyah, who has since died in a plane crash. RELATED: R.
Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison in sex abuse caseDuring the trial, evidence was presented about a fraudulent marriage scheme hatched to protect Kelly after he feared he had impregnated Aaliyah in 1994 when she was just 15.
Witnesses said they were married in matching jogging suits using a license falsely listing her age as 18; he was 27 at the time.Born January 1979, Aaliyah Haughton, with her silky smooth voice, signed a record deal with her uncle in Detroit when she was just 12.
Billboard Magazine said Aaliyah "revolutionized R&B with her honey-coated voice and sultry mix of pop, soul and hip-hop."RELATED: Porsha Williams says she was a victim of R.