Robert Sylvester Kelly, known professionally as R. Kelly, has been making headlines for 30 years.
While early on in his career as an artist and music producer Kelly made waves for selling millions of records and winning Grammys, the tone of his news-making transformed as the years went on.
Allegations of sexual abuse have been hurled at Kelly for decades, and in 2021, he became a convicted sex offender, guilty on nine counts of sex trafficking and racketeering.
R. Kelly’s life has changed dramatically since the details of his crimes have surfaced. Not only has gone from a free man to a convicted sex offender facing a potential life sentence, but he has also lost his fortune.
And judging from his level of success prior to his fall from grace, he had a lot to lose. Here’s what R. Kelly’s net worth was at the height of his career.
R. Kelly’s Success As A Singer
R. Kelly was one of the most successful R&B male singers of the 1990s. With more than 75 million records sold, he was named the most successful R&B artist in history in 2010 by Billboard magazine.
Among his most famous songs are ‘I Believe I Can Fly’, ‘Ignition (Remix)’, and ‘If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time’. He also released the hip hopera ‘Trapped in the Closet’ and wrote songs for other artists.
Kelly also famously wrote the song ‘You Are Not Alone’ which was recorded by Michael Jackson and earned R. Kelly a Grammy nomination in 1996.
R. Kelly’s Net Worth At The Height Of His Career
At the very height of his career, R. Kelly’s net worth was estimated to be approximately $100 million thanks to his success as a singer, songwriter, and music producer.
However, as the fallen-from-grace singer’s career has plummeted, so have his earnings and savings.
R. Kelly Lost Money In Various Settlement Fees
Over the years, R. Kelly lost some of his fortune through various settlement fees. His legal troubles began in the 1990s when a woman named Tiffany Hawkins alleged that she had a sexual relationship with the singer when she was 15 years old. He paid $250,000 in settlement fees to her.
Later, Kelly also settled out of court lawsuits by a former intern at Epic Records in 2001 and a further two women in 2002.
In 2009, Kelly lost more money when he divorced his wife Andrea Kelly and was ordered to pay her a one-time fee of $1 million and $20,000 per month in child support.
Fast-forward to 2009 and Kelly was jailed for failing to pay more than $161,000 in overdue child support.
A Long History Of Criminal Charges
Since R. Kelly’s prestigious Billboard title of the most successful R&B artist in history, it has come to light that the singer has a long list of criminal charges behind him. Beginning in the 1990s, there have been a sea of claims of sexual abuse against him.
Kelly was also reportedly involved in an illegal marriage to the late singer Aaliyah, who was just 15 at the time that the 27-year-old Kelly wed her, the circulation of an illegal sex tape, and several other criminal charges related to sex crimes, including trapping six women in a sex cult after they came to him for help with their music careers.
In September 2021, Kelly was found guilty of eight counts of sex trafficking and one count of racketeering.
The 2019 documentary Surviving R. Kelly brought to light many of the allegations and charges against the singer, with several victims and their families coming forward to tell their stories of abusive experiences with him.
Money Owed To The IRS
Over the years, R. Kelly also lost money through posting his own bail at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
According to the International Business Times, R. Kelly revealed in 2020 court documents that he also owed nearly $1.9 million to the IRS.
How Much R. Kelly Is Worth Today
After decades of allegations and charges, R. Kelly has lost his entire fortune and more. According to Wealthy Gorilla, the disgraced star is worth negative $2 million.
Given his guilty verdict from his 2021 trial, it is also possible that he will be spending a reasonable portion of the rest of his life behind bars. Yet to be sentenced, Kelly is facing 10 years to life in jail for his crimes.
TMZ reports that R. Kelly is in the same correctional facility as Ghislaine Maxwell, a former British socialite and sex offender.
The publication revealed that the Christmas menu that R. Kelly was served in prison consisted of mac and cheese and Cornish hen—perhaps a far cry from the foods Kelly would have elected to eat when he was a free man.