Disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly was hospitalized after overdosing on medication in prison, according to his attorney. The overdose required two days of hospitalization and his legal team claims the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) administered an excessive dose, possibly as part of a plot to kill him. Kelly, 58, is currently serving a 30-year sentence for federal racketeering and sex trafficking convictions, with additional charges pending. His attorney alleges that the incident occurred just days after Kelly disclosed a plot to kill him, raising concerns about the safety of incarcerated individuals. The legal team also highlighted ongoing medical issues, including a swollen leg and blood clot history, which were allegedly neglected by prison medical staff.
The legal filing from Kelly’s attorney details the circumstances of the overdose, stating that Mr. Kelly awoke on June 13, 2025, feeling faint, dizzy, and experiencing black spots in his vision. He fell to the ground, crawled to his cell door, and lost consciousness, leading to his transport to the hospital on a gurney. At the hospital, he learned he had been administered an overdose quantity of his medications, which threatened his life and required two days of treatment.
His attorneys have recently filed a motion for temporary furlough, which would allow him to leave prison temporarily under specified conditions. However, the filing claims that within two days of submitting the motion, BOP officials administered an overdose of medication, which the attorney alleges could have been fatal. The legal team also points out that Kelly had raised concerns about a swollen leg, which is particularly concerning given his prior history of blood clots. Despite repeated requests for medical attention, he received limited or delayed care.
Earlier in the year, Kelly was allegedly supposed to undergo a scan to monitor for blood clots. Instead, he was told by medical staff that he would no longer receive blood thinners, leading to his removal from the medication. This decision, according to the legal team, happened within the past three months and significantly increased his risk of serious medical complications.
The filing also mentions that Kelly was on the phone with his attorney in tears, fearing for his life. The attorney alleges that Kelly exposed a plot by the Bureau of Prisons to kill him, which the legal team claims is part of a larger pattern of misconduct by BOP officials. After his recent hospitalization, Kelly was forcibly removed from Duke University Hospital in North Carolina, despite doctors’ objections, according to the filing.
When contacted by Fox News Digital, the Bureau of Prisons declined to comment, citing privacy, safety, and security concerns. Reps for Kelly did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Born Robert Sylvester Kelly, the singer has been incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, since 2022.
His criminal history includes a 30-year sentence in New York for racketeering and sex trafficking convictions, with additional charges pending in Chicago. In February 2023, Kelly was sentenced to an additional 20 years in prison on charges of child pornography and enticement of minors for sex. These sentences will be served concurrently, and he is likely to be eligible for parole at age 80. Kelly, who has vehemently denied the allegations, rose from poverty in Chicago to become one of the world’s biggest R&B stars. Known for his smash hit ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ and for sex-infused songs such as ‘Bump n’ Grind,’ he sold millions of albums even after allegations about his abuse of girls began circulating publicly in the 1990s.