R. Kelly, the mastermind behind the musical drama Trapped in the Closet, recently canceled a series of cruise ship performances, according to United Press International. Kelly claims Concert Cruise LLC, the company that booked the singer, could not pony up the cash they promised when the contracts were signed. As a result, Kelly was forced to pull out of the gig.
“R. Kelly had been looking forward to the cruise and was ready, willing and able to perform for fans. He is sorry for any disappointment but plans to see his fans very soon on a U.S. tour,” the singer’s representative explained to celebrity gossip site TMZ.
Kelly was originally booked to perform during the “Love Letter” cruise, a five-day oceanic adventure from Miami to the Caribbean scheduled for October. Since the company understands that many customers only signed on to see R. Kelly perform during the excursion, Concert Cruise LLC is offering refunds to those who are overwhelmingly disappointed by the news. Clients will be notified about the cancellation via email.
The I Believe I Can Fly singer has had a tough go of it over the past few months. In addition to releasing his tenth studio album to the extremely lackluster sales, Kelly has apparently been skipping out on his taxes. According to the website Celebrity Dirty Laundry, the musician owes the IRS $837,000. To make matters worse, Kelly has been ordered to pay $1 million in taxes in addition to what he is to pay to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Friends and family are rumored to be worried that the tax payments, in addition to poor record sales, could ultimately force the singer into bankruptcy. If that wasn’t enough turmoil to contend with, Kelly recently went under the knife to address some breathing difficulties he’d been experiencing as of late.
