Since R. Kelly’s trial began last month, Aaliyah’s name has been mentioned numerous times. During one of the first testimonies, it was revealed Aaliyah and R. Kelly were indeed married. According to Jane Doe #2, the ‘Chocolate Factory’ singer married the teen singer after discovering she was pregnant. Additional testimonies painted a very detailed picture of the relationship between R. Kelly and Aaliyah’s most intimate moments and also an alleged encounter between R. Kelly and Aaliyah’s mother.
While Kelly has refuted these claims, he has not given much detail to explain their relationship. his reason may be due to a promise he made to Aaliyah’s mother. Back in a 2016 interview with GQ titled, The Confessions Of R. Kelly, R. Kelly briefly discussed why he does not elaborate on his relationship with Aaliyah despite all the rumors surrounding them. “Well, because of Aaliyah’s passing, as I’ve always said, out of respect for her mother who’s sick and her father who’s passed, I will never have that conversation with anyone. Out of respect for Aaliyah and her mother and father, who has asked me not to personally. But I can tell you I loved her, I can tell you she loved me, we were very close. We were, you know, best best best best friends.”
R. Kelly went on to say that Aaliyah was still alive at 22 and had plenty of time to speak up for herself if she wanted the public to know. “Her mother, her father, anybody else, could speak and say whatever they wanted.” When asked if there’s anything he felt bad or wrong about regarding his ‘situation’ with Aaliyah, R. Kelly vehemently said, absolutely not. “That’s my answer forever: Absolutely not.”
