HAILED as a genius who paved the way for the female R&B superstars of today, Aaliyah died 20 years ago in a plane crash at just 22.
But her tragic anniversary is being overshadowed by the sex abuse trial, beginning last week, of former husband R. Kelly — who married her underage when she was 15.
In what has been called the biggest music industry scandal since Michael Jackson stood trial in 2005 on charges of child molestation, the 54-year-old singer is accused of racketeering, sexual abuse and bribery in relation to his illegal marriage to Aaliyah and conduct with five other teenage girls.
He has repeatedly denied all the charges. Aaliyah was thought to have been pregnant at the time of her marriage to Kelly, then 27 in 1994, and he is.
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