R. Kelly has been charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
The 52-year-old hip hop star was accused of sexual assault by a host of women in the recently aired Lifetime documentary series ‘Surviving R. Kelly’, and on Friday (22.02.19), Cook County’s State Attorney charged him with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
According to TMZ, a grand jury convened last week to investigate an alleged sex tape, and it has now been claimed the tape "was a pivotal force leading to the charges."
Records show the ‘Ignition’ hitmaker will face court on March 8 for the charges but his attorney, Steven Greenberg, insists he has not been notified of Kelly’s charges.
Previously, Greenberg claimed his client denies any wrongdoing.
Following the allegations against Kelly, several stars have spoken out against him, including Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, who both pulled their collaborations with the rapper from streaming service in the wake of the claims.
Gaga – who worked with Kelly on 2013 track ‘Do What U Want’ – also took to social media to apologise for working with Kelly in a lengthy note.
She wrote: "I stand behind these women 1000%, believe them, know they are suffering and in pain, and feel strongly that their voices should be heard and taken seriously.
"What I am hearing about the allegations against R Kelly is absolutely horrifying and indefensible. As a victim of sexual assault myself, I made both the song and the video at a dark time in my life. My intention was to create something extremely defiant and provocative because I was angry and still hadn’t processed the trauma that had occurred in my own life. The song is called Do What U Want (With My Body), I think it’s clear how explicitly twisted my thinking was at the time.
"If I could go back and have a talk with my younger self I’d tell her to go through the therapy I have since then, so that I could understand the confused post-traumatic state that I was in – or if therapy was not available to me or anyone in my situation – to seek help, and speak as openly and honestly as possible about what we’ve been through.
"I’m sorry, both for my poor judgment when I was young, and for not speaking out sooner".
R. Kelly charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse
