R. Kelly Alleges Prison Endangers His Life: Overdose on Medication, Surgery Denied, and Solitary Confinement Woes

In a spiraling saga that reads like the script of a psychological thriller, disgraced R&B artist R. Kelly is once again raising the alarm — not about his lengthy prison sentence, but about what he claims are life-threatening conditions inside his North Carolina federal facility. According to a new court filing submitted Monday by his attorney, Beau B. Brindley, Kelly alleges that prison staff deliberately gave him an overdose of medication, leaving him unconscious and hospitalized.

The singer, once dubbed the “Pied Piper of R&B,” says the nightmare began on the night of June 12 when a staff member in solitary confinement instructed him to take an additional dose of medication. The following morning, Kelly says he awoke dizzy and weak, tried to stand, and collapsed. He reportedly crawled to his cell door before blacking out completely.

Kelly was rushed to Duke University Hospital, where he says doctors confirmed what he feared — the dose he was given could have been fatal. But the drama didn’t end there. According to Kelly, during the ride to the hospital, he overheard one officer mutter ominously, “This is going to open a whole new can of worms.”

It’s not the first time Kelly has sounded the alarm about what he believes to be targeted mistreatment behind bars. His latest court filing paints a dire picture: prison officials allegedly took him off blood thinners needed to treat dangerous clots in his legs and lungs and are now denying him doctor-recommended surgery. Instead, he remains confined to solitary — a punishment Kelly claims could turn fatal.

“I will be killed or left to die in here,” Kelly reportedly told his attorney, echoing what he believes is a pattern of deliberate neglect.

This isn’t Kelly’s first attempt to gain temporary release. Monday’s motion marks the third time he’s asked the court for home confinement, arguing that continued incarceration may result in his death. But the U.S. government is unmoved.

In a biting response, prosecutors say Kelly is spinning a web of manipulation. “This is the behavior of an abuser and a master manipulator on display,” they wrote, accusing Kelly of filing motions in the wrong court and exploiting the system to create tabloid headlines.

The government also took issue with Kelly’s claim of a murder-for-hire plot from within the prison walls. Just last week, his team submitted a sworn affidavit from inmate and alleged Aryan Brotherhood leader Mikeal Glenn Stine, who claimed he was offered early release in exchange for killing Kelly — but backed out and confessed instead. Kelly now says another gang member may be targeting both him and Stine for exposing the plot.

Kelly is currently serving a 30-year sentence following his 2021 conviction on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking — a reckoning that followed years of allegations and investigations. But despite his imprisonment, Kelly seems determined to remain in the spotlight, this time not through music, but through a storm of legal filings and alarming accusations.

Whether these claims will spark further investigation or fall on deaf ears remains to be seen. But one thing is certain — the saga of R. Kelly continues, not on stage, but in courtrooms and prison cells, with each chapter more sensational than the last.