LOS ANGELES, Jan 18 (Reuters) – R. Kelly has parted ways with the Sony Music-owned RCA record label, Billboard magazine and Variety reported on Friday, and he no longer appears on the roster of artists on RCA’s website.
The reported split follows decades of allegations of sexual and physical abuse by the Grammy-winning singer, which were the subject of a new six-hour television documentary aired earlier this month. Kelly’s attorney has denied the allegations.
RCA and Kelly’s representatives did not return calls for comment on Friday.
Variety, quoting an unidentified source, said Sony Music had decided to “dissolve its working relationship” with Kelly, but that no external announcement would be made.
Billboard reported that the musician and the record company had agreed to part ways, citing unnamed sources. It said Kelly’s catalog would remain with RCA. His music is still available on digital retailers and streaming services.
RCA came under renewed pressure this month to drop Kelly, best-known for the hit “I Believe I Can Fly,” in the wake of a Lifetime documentary in which multiple women, including his ex-wife, made on-camera allegations of emotional, sexual and physical abuse.
Campaigners from the #MuteRKelly pressure group delivered a petition signed by some 217,000 people to Sony headquarters in New York City earlier this week asking the record company to drop the musician
Kelly, 52, released his last album in 2016. He tweeted earlier this month that a new album was on the way. (Reporting by Jill Serjeant Editing by Bill Rigby)
