R Kelly overdoses in prison after being placed in solitary confinement

Lawyers for R. Kelly have revealed that the incarcerated singer overdosed last week. They say the 58-year-old star took medication given to him by prison staff and suffered a near-fatal overdose.

The "Ignition" singer's legal team, in a June 17 filing obtained by USA TODAY, claim that after being placed in solitary confinement on June 12, prison staff provided Kelly with additional medication to what he normally takes, leading to him being rushed to hospital.

According to the filing, Kelly was then forcibly removed from Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, against medical advice.

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The singer, born Robert Kelly, has been serving a 30-year sentence for racketeering and sex trafficking in a North Carolina jail since 2022.

Prior to his overdose, Kelly was placed in solitary confinement on June 10 "against his will" with his medication, lawyers have claimed. Kelly's attorney Beau Brindley said the star collapsed in his cell after being administered a higher dose of his anxiety medication. According to the legal filing, in the early morning hours of June 13 Kelly woke up feeling "faint" and "dizzy."

Kelly's attorney, Beau Brindley said the 58-year-old was placed in isolation on June 10 with his medication, and on the same day, prison staff entered his cell and administered more medication.

Three days later, Kelly reportedly "felt faint" and soon lost consciousness before he was rushed to Duke University Hospital on June 13. He remained under observation for two days before officials returned him to prison.

"He started to see black spots in his vision. Mr. Kelly tried to get up, but fell to the ground," the documents stated. "He crawled to the door of the cell and lost consciousness."

Onsite prison medical staff could not help him, so he was transported to Duke University Hospital by ambulance, the filing continued. He was hospitalised for two days.

Brindley claims in the filing that the officers "gave him an amount of medicine that could have killed him". "This was no mistake," he said. "It was a dose that jeopardized his life and nearly ended it."

Brindley has filed an emergency motion seeking Kelly's release from prison, his third request after claiming the singer is not safe behind bars. The motion references an alleged attempt on Kelly's life by a trio of prison officials, who he claimed plotted to have the singer killed by a terminally ill member of white supremacist group, the Aryan Brotherhood.

According to the motion, three prison officials, including a warden and an assistant warden, conspired to have Kelly killed by inmate, Mikeal Glenn Stine.