R. Kelly Hospitalized After Alleged Overdose in Prison

R. Kelly, the 58-year-old R&B singer born Robert Sylvester Kelly, has been hospitalized following a reported overdose while in prison.

As outlined in a report by a media outlet, his attorney, Beau B. Brindley, alleged that prison staff administered an excessive amount of medication, leading to the overdose and subsequent transfer to a local hospital.

The specific medication in question has not been disclosed.

Brindley shared that Kelly, who is currently serving a 31-year sentence for child sexual abuse, was transported by ambulance to Duke University Hospital. He pointed out that the singer was compelled to take this medication while in solitary confinement.

On June 13, Kelly reportedly experienced symptoms like feeling faint and dizzy, and he noticed black spots in his vision. He attempted to stand up but fell, ultimately crawling to his cell door before losing consciousness.

While being transported in the ambulance, he allegedly overheard a prison officer mention, “This is going to open a whole new can of worms.”

At the hospital, Kelly was purportedly informed that he had been given an overdose of his medications, which posed a serious risk to his health.

His lawyer added that doctors identified blood clots in both of his legs and lungs, but he was removed from the hospital before he could receive the necessary treatment.

“When advised he required surgery and needed to be kept for two weeks, officers assigned to Mr. Kelly in the hospital contacted the officials at Butner,” Brindley noted in legal documents. “Within an hour, officers with guns came into his hospital room and removed Mr. Kelly. He was taken from the hospital against his will and against the directives of the doctors.”

Brindley further claimed that Kelly was denied critical surgery to address the blood clots in his lungs, which present a significant health risk. He was then returned to solitary confinement in prison.

“It is undeniable. Mr. Kelly’s life is in jeopardy right now because the Bureau of Prisons denied him necessary surgery to clear clots from his lungs,” Brindley emphasized. “He could die from this condition, and they are letting it happen. Mr. Kelly’s life is in danger, and that danger is coming from Bureau of Prisons officials and their actions. Mr. Kelly needs this Court’s intervention. His life actually depends on it,” he continued, expressing that Kelly is seeking a temporary furlough for home detention.

Back in September 2022, a jury in Chicago found Kelly guilty of child sex offenses, leading to a 20-year sentence that is currently being served concurrently with his original 30-year sentence.