R. Kelly's life, from troubled talent to trafficking trial

In this June 26, 2019 file photo, R&B singer R. Kelly, center, arrives at the Leighton Criminal Court building for an arraignment on sex-related felonies in Chicago. (AP Photo/Amr Alfiky, File)

NEW YORK — R. Kelly has long faced and denied allegations of lurid behavior and sex abuse. A jury has now found him guilty of sex trafficking in a federal trial in New York stemming from those allegations.

A TIMELINE OF KELLY'S LIFE

Jan. 8, 1967

Robert Sylvester Kelly born in Chicago as third of four children of schoolteacher Joann Kelly. Little is known about his father.

1975

Kelly begins singing in church. Around that time, years of sexual abuse by an adult relative begins, according to his 2012 memoir.

1979

Kelly witnesses a rape at age 12.

1983

Mother moves family from Chicago housing projects and enrolls Kelly in the prestigious Kenwood Academy.

1984

Performs Stevie Wonder hit “Ribbon in the Sky” in a talent show. In following years, he performs in subway stations with his keyboard, often feigning blindness to avoid arrest.

1990

His R&B group MGM wins $100,000 grand prize on the show “Big Break.” Jive Records executive Wayne Williams discovers Kelly singing at a barbecue.

January 1992

R. Kelly & Public Announcement debuts “Born Into The '90s.” Album released the following year goes platinum.

November 1993

His album “12 Play” is released and eventually sells more than 5 million copies. Hit singles include “Sex Me” and “Bump N' Grind.”

Aug. 31, 1994

At 27, R. Kelly marries 15-year-old singer Aaliyah D. Haughton in a secret ceremony. Marriage is annulled months later because of Aaliyah's age.

September 1994

Aaliyah's debut album, “Age Ain't Nothing But A Number,” which Kelly produced, goes platinum. Aaliyah dies in a plane crash seven years later at age 22.

1996

Releases third album “R. Kelly” and incorporates Rockland Records. Song “I Believe I Can Fly” is a huge hit. Marries 22-year-old dancer Andrea Lee, and they go on to have three children: Joanne, Jaya and Robert Jr.

Feb. 18, 1997

Tiffany Hawkins files a complaint alleging sexual battery and harassment when she was a minor.

January 1998

Hawkins' lawsuit is reportedly settled for US$250,000.

February 1998

Kelly wins three Grammys for “I Believe I Can Fly.”

November 1998

Album “R.” hits stores and eventually sells 6 million copies.

November 2000

Album “TP-2.com” debuts at No. 1.

August 2001

Tracy Sampson sues Kelly, alleging their sex was illegal under Illinois law because he was in a position of authority. Case is reportedly settled out of court.

Feb. 8, 2002

Chicago Sun-Times reports that it received a videotape showing Kelly having sex with a minor and that police had begun investigating related allegations three years earlier. The girl and her parents deny the relationship. The same day, Kelly performs at the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

June 5, 2002

Kelly indicted in Chicago on child porn charges stemming from the sex tape, pleads not guilty and is released on bail.

January 2003

Kelly is arrested at a Florida hotel on child porn charges after investigators say they found photos of him with a girl. Charges are later dropped after a judge rules police didn't have a warrant.

Feb. 18, 2003

Album “Chocolate Factory” is released to immediate success.

July 2005

Album “TP.3 Reloaded” hits No. 1.

September 2005

Andrea Kelly asks for order of protection, accusing her husband of hitting her when she asked for a divorce.

February 2006

Carey Kelly says his brother offered him US$50,000 and a record deal to say he was the person in the sex video.

May 29, 2007

Album “Double Up” is released and later hits No. 1.

May 9, 2008

Child pornography trial begins.

June 13, 2008

Kelly is acquitted after fast jury deliberations.

Jan 8, 2009

Kelly and Andrea confirm they divorced.

July 12, 2011

Crain's Chicago Business reports a $2.9 million foreclosure was filed on Kelly's suburban Chicago mansion. Spokesperson says Kelly is not having financial trouble.

March 21, 2012

Kelly announces he is reviving a video series, “Trapped in the Closet,” that eventually becomes a rap opera about a web of sexual deceit. There is talk of a Broadway show.

June 15, 2012

Chicago Sun-Times reports Kelly owes the IRS more than $4.8 million.

June 27, 2012

Publishes autobiography “Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me,” focusing on his creative and family life.

March 18, 2013

Mansion once valued at more than $5 million sells for $950,000 at auction.

2017

BuzzFeed reports on parents' claims that Kelly brainwashed their daughters. Activists launch #MuteRKelly movement, calling for boycotts of his music.

Feb. 13, 2018

Kelly is evicted from two Atlanta-area homes over more than $31,000 in unpaid rent.

April 2018

Time's Up campaign joins #MuteRKelly and pushes for investigation. Kelly's camp responds: “We will vigorously resist this attempted public lynching of a black man who has made extraordinary contributions to our culture.”

May 2018

Spotify cuts R. Kelly's music from its playlists. Apple and Pandora soon stop promoting his music.

May 21, 2018

Faith Rodgers, 20, sues R. Kelly, alleging sexual battery, mental and verbal abuse, and of knowingly inflicting her with herpes.

Jan. 3, 2019

Lifetime airs “Surviving R. Kelly,” revisiting old allegations and airing new ones. It follows 2018's “R Kelly: Sex, Girls & Videotapes” on BBC.

Jan. 9, 2019

Lady Gaga says she will remove 2013 duet with Kelly from streaming services.

Jan. 14, 2019

Rodgers says Kelly threatened to reveal embarrassing details of her sexual history if she didn't drop May 2018 lawsuit.

Jan. 21, 2019

News reports say Kelly and his label, Sony subsidiary RCA Records, part ways. Fellow musicians including Celine Dion further distance themselves.

Feb. 6, 2019

Kelly tweets about a new tour of Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, then deletes it following backlash.

Feb. 14, 2019

Attorney Michael Avenatti says he gave Chicago prosecutors new video evidence of Kelly with a girl.

Feb. 22, 2019

Kelly is arrested and charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse.

Feb. 25, 2019

Kelly pleads not guilty, posts bail and is released from Chicago jail.

March 2019

In CBS interview, Kelly denies sexual abuse charges. Authorities in Illinois take Kelly into custody after he tells a judge he can't pay $161,000 in back child support.

May 30, 2019

Kelly is charged with 11 new counts in Chicago involving a woman who accused him of abusing her when she was underage.

July 11, 2019

Kelly is indicted in Chicago on federal charges including child pornography. Separate federal indictment in New York includes charges of racketeering. He is again arrested in Chicago.

July 16, 2019

Judge orders Kelly held without bond.

Aug. 2, 2019

Kelly pleads not guilty to sexually abusing women and girls who attended his concerts. His lawyers call them disgruntled groupies.

Aug. 5, 2019

Kelly is charged in Minnesota with soliciting a 17-year-old.

Oct. 2, 2019

Kelly is denied bail in his New York City case.

Dec. 5, 2019

Kelly is charged with paying a bribe in exchange for a “fraudulent identification document” a day before he married Aaliyah. He later pleads not guilty.

March 5, 2020

Kelly pleads not guilty in Chicago to an updated federal indictment that includes a new accuser.

Aug. 12, 2020

Charges announced against three men accused of threatening and intimidating women who accused Kelly of abuse.

Aug. 14, 2020

Kelly's manager is arrested in California on charges that he threatened a shooting at a Manhattan theater two years before, forcing the cancellation of a screening of a documentary about allegations against R. Kelly.

July 24, 2021

Federal prosecutors say Kelly had sexual contact with a boy in addition to girls, and the government wants trial jurors to hear those claims.

Aug. 18, 2021

Opening statements begin in Kelly's federal trial in New York.

Sept. 24, 2021

Jury begins deliberating in the New York trial, even as trial dates in Illinois and Minnesota cases remain to be set.

Sept. 27, 2021

The jury finds R. Kelly guilty of sex trafficking and violating the Mann Act, which makes it illegal to take anyone across state lines “for any immoral purpose.”