R. Kelly Concert At Germany’s Ratiopharm Arena Canceled Over Sex Abuse Charges
R. Kelly’s concert at the Ratiopharm Arena in Germany has been canceled in light of his recent arrest. The venue in Neu-Ulm reportedly dissolved their contract with Kelly’s tour organizer on Tuesday after the singer was charged with 10 counts of sexual abuse, according to TMZ.
“Over the past 3 days, new charges have been published in the media regarding allegations raised against R. Kelly and verified by us in the meantime,” the venue wrote in a post on Facebook. “In view of these new and objective facts, we have decided to release ourselves from the contract.”
Ratiopharm is asking concertgoers who would like a refund to contact the tour operator where tickets were purchased. Advertisements for the April 12 concert have already been removed from social media.
Kelly is still set to perform at the Sporthalle Hamburg arena on April 14, but this show may be canceled as well. The venue allegedly tried unsuccessfully to cancel their contract with Kelly before he was officially charged, Page Six reported.
The 52-year-old “Ignition” singer is also scheduled for shows in Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands.
R. Kelly’s attorney, Steven Greenberg, hopes to ask the judge to allow Kelly to travel for work with his passport, which was confiscated last week.
The singer’s advisor, Don Russell, told TMZ that R. Kelly is “committed to honoring any of his contractual obligations local and abroad within the law.”
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“It would be unconstitutional for the courts to immerse him in potential lawsuits that would result in more lawsuits by forcing him to breach his obligations based on allegations,” Russell said, adding that the money he makes from concerts will help him stay on top of fees in his legal battle.
As Inquisitr previously reported, Kelly was charged on Friday, February 22, with 10 counts of sexual abuse involving four women. On Monday, Greenberg entered not guilty pleas on Kelly’s behalf and the singer was released from prison after posting a $100,000 bond.
The charges came a week after attorney Michael Avenatti, who represents two of Kelly’s victims, reportedly gave prosecutors video footage of Kelly with an underage girl. On Monday, Avenatti handed over another tape that he claims shows the same 14-year-old girl in a sex act with Kelly. The singer may see additional charges from this new evidence.
Kelly’s arrest occurred nearly two months after the release of the Lifetime docuseries Surviving R. Kelly. In early January, the network debuted a six-part series that investigated the sexual abuse allegations made against the singer over the years. The docu-series included personal accounts from Kelly’s alleged victims as well as fellow artists like John Legend.