Disgraced music mogul R. Kelly taken to hospital after 'overdosing' in prison - alleging prison staff are to blame
17 June 2025, 14:32 | Updated: 17 June 2025, 16:44
Disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly has been taken to hospital after 'overdosing' in prison, with the rapper's legal team alleging that prison staff may be to blame.
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Lawyers for R. Kelly said the R&B singer overdosed last week on medication given to him by prison staff.
A court filing submitted by his attorney, Beau B. Brindley, claims R. Kelly was left bedridden in a hospital after a solitary confinement employee instructed him to take additional medication the night of June 12, according to TMZ.
R. Kelly was then transferred to Duke University Hospital the next morning after he reported feeling unwell.
In the filing, the disgraced singer says prison staff also took him off necessary blood thinner medication and is now refusing to allow him a doctor-recommend surgery to clear blood clots in his legs and lungs.
According to the filing, the former music mogul was 'forcibly' removed from Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, against medical advice.
Read more: R. Kelly's daughter Buku Abi accuses singer of sexually abusing her as a child
Read more: R. Kelly manager sentenced to a year in prison for theatre threat
R. Kelly, 57, Robert Kelly, was jailed in June 2022 for racketeering and sex trafficking after decades of avoiding criminal responsibility over misconduct allegations involving young women and children.
The disgraced singer was sentenced to 30 years after being found guilty of creating a scheme to entice and sexually exploit young aspiring singers and underage children.
The daughter of disgraced singer R. Kelly has accused the singer of sexually abusing her as a child.
Buku Abi, 26, made the claim as part of a two-episode documentary Karma: A Daughter’s Journey, accusing the singer of abusing her when she was around eight or nine years old.
Abi first reported the singer's alleged abuse to her mother in 2009, when she was around 10 years old.
The accusations come as fellow musical heavyweight 'P Diddy' made a sombre appearance in court for his trial date to be set in a sex trafficking case.
Prosecutors had previously asked that the star was imprisoned for at least 25 years as part of the trial, which saw the star jailed for 30 years just over two years ago.
Kelly's lawyers had attempted a last ditch bid to acquit the singer and demand a retrial, after arguing his client's defence team were ineffective and that prosecutors had "misused" the racketeering charge.
The motion was denied by the judge.
Read more: Rapper ‘P Diddy’ faces sexual misconduct allegations from 120 new people, lawyer says
A jury of seven men and five women had previously found Kelly guilty of racketeering, charges based on an argument that the entourage of managers and aides who helped the singer meet girls - and keep them obedient and quiet - amounted to a criminal enterprise.
