Did R. Kelly pass away in prison? Viral TikTok video debunked 

Recently, a claim surfaced online that former R&B singer, songwriter, and convicted s*x offender R. Kelly died in prison. TikTok user Zach news king claimed it (@zachxposts) on December 1 in a post captioned, “Rip.”

“R. Kelly passed away in jail,” the 1-minute video was titled.

It further showed the Google Search Engine of the former record producer with the TikToker alleging:

“R. Kelly has just passed away in prison. Just a few hours ago, he was just shanked. And I guess somebody really hated this guy because he is now in grave.”

The post garnered online traction and earned over 415,800 views at the time of writing.

However, the now-viral claim has turned out to be fake. R. Kelly has not passed away in prison, nor has he been fatally stabbed. The TikTok video doesn’t substantiate the rumor or provide any authentic source.

Zach news king is also infamous for making untrue claims for sensationalism and virality purposes. Earlier, the account made similar fabricated claims about former professional boxer Mike Tyson and rapper Lil Durk— falsely alleging they both had died.

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R. Kelly did not pass away in prison

Zach news king’s video rumor circulated across other social media platforms including Facebook. Besides claiming that R. Kelly was “shanked” in a “maximum security prison in North Carolina,” the TikToker further explained who the former artist is, his age, and why he was convicted and imprisoned.

However, later in the video, Zach news king shared his opinion, writing:

“Nasty dude, brother. Need to put him with Diddy. Bro, on god. Where is Diddy at? But Diddy is to cook to, so?”

So, while the premise of the TikTok rumor was that R. Kelly had died, it wrapped up by suggesting how the former R&B star should be held alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is currently facing similar charges, thus overturning the rumor.

Moreover, no media outlet has reported on the same. No official/ governmental confirmation on Kelly’s alleged death has emerged either. Thus, the viral TikTok video must be debunked and could be deemed as fabricated and unfounded.

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Kelly was found guilty of eight counts of s*x trafficking and one count of racketeering in New York in 2022. That same year, he was also convicted of child s*xual abuse in Chicago. Later, in 2023, he was held guilty of child p*rnography as well.

Currently, he is serving a consolidated 31-year sentence at a medium-security federal correctional center in Butner, North Carolina. Now 57, Kelly is expected to be released on December 2045 at the age of 79.

R. Kelly has been in the news lately for charges similar to those of Diddy. Additionally, in October, the former RCA Records mogul’s 26-year-old daughter Buku Abi accused her father of s*xually abusing her as a child.

Formerly Joann Kelly, the eldest daughter of Kelly, made the allegations in a two-part TVEI documentary titled Karma: A Daughter’s Journey. The Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta star shared how she was “too scared to tell anybody” about the alleged incident before.

Recently, the Supreme Court denied the singer’s petition to consider an appeal of his conviction on the federal charges in Chicago. His similar appeal in New York remains pending.