Ever since Vibe magazine ran an article stating that Aaliyah and R. Kelly tied the know in a secret ceremony, the marriage issue has persisted. According to Vibe's article, Aaliyah and R. Kelly were purportedly married in August 1994 in Rosemont, Illinois. Despite Vibe's story, significant material evidence exists that Aaliyah and R. Kelly had never married. The evidence is listed below: 1. Vibe magazine based their story on only a single document, and sadly others have followed causing Aaliyah and her family great pain. This single piece of evidence is an INVALID and possibly fraudulent marriage certificate issued on August 31, 1994 in Rosemont, IL. While this document claims that R. Kelly and Aaliyah were married, Aaliyah's age was incorrectly listed as 18 at the time. This is a material misstatement under Illinois law which sets the minimum marriage age at 16 with parenteral or guardian consent and 18 without such consent. On August 31, 1994 Aaliyah was only 15 years old. BASED ON THIS ALONE, A MARRIAGE WAS NEVER CONSUMMATED OR EXISTED ACCORDING TO ILLINOIS LAW. 2. The County Clerk in issuing the above document failed to satisfy (750 ILCS 5/203)Sec. 203 of Illinois law which requires satisfactory proof that EACH party to the marriage will have attained the age of 18 years at the time the marriage license is effective or will have attained the age of 16 years and has either the consent to the marriage of both parents or his guardian or judicial approval; provided, if one parent cannot be located in order to obtain such consent and diligent efforts have been made to locate that parent by the consenting parent, then the consent of one parent plus a signed affidavit by the consenting parent which (i) names the absent parent and states that he or she cannot be located, and (ii) states what diligent efforts have been made to locate the absent parent... IN SHORT, PROOF OF AGE WAS NEVER ATTAINED AND NO EFFORT WAS MADE TO LOCATE AND/OR CONTACT AALIYAH'S PARENTS AS REQUIRED. 3. IT IS ALSO LIKELY THAT THIS SAME COUNTY CLERK AND THE PRESIDING ELDER NEVER TOOK REASONABLE STEPS TO ENSURE THAT THE ALLEGED PARTIES WERE IN FACT AALIYAH AND R. KELLY. It is plausible that reporters or others could have posed to create a story since in a worst case scenario, their actions would be a CLASS B MISDEMNOR under Illinois Law resulting in a likely fine and no incarceration. SINCE IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THE COUNTY CLERK CHECKED EACH PARTY'S IDENTIFICATION, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT AALIYAH HAD BEEN PRESENT AT THE PURPORTED WEDDING. HAD THE EACH PARTY'S IDENTIFICATION BEEN VERIFIED, THE AGE DISCREPANCY ON THE CERTIFICATE WOULD NOT HAVE EXISTED. 4. Legally VIBE could not be sued for publishing their story since a document WAS discovered in the public records office of Illinois which they could say led them to conclude that a marriage took place. After all, a reasonable person would have expected the County Clerk and presiding Elder to have taken necessary steps to ensure that the parties were who they claimed to be, were the ages they claimed to be, and that other State requirements were met. 5. Neither Aaliyah or R. Kelly ever acknowledged that such a marriage took place. In "Aaliyah: More Than A Woman" by Christopher John Farley, it's written "Kelly and Aaliyah, however, both denied that the marriage occurred and even denied that their relationship had ever moved beyond friendship. I saw [the Vibe article], but I don't really comment on that because I know it's not true," [Aaliyah] "said in December of 1994. 'When people ask me, I tell them, 'Hey don't believe all that mess. We're close and people took it the wrong way.''" "'I've told people time and time again that I'm not married," Kelly said in November of 1995. "I'm truly not married... I'm not married to Aaliyah whatever Vibe magazine wrote.'" -- pp. 46-47. 6. A Jive Records spokesman also denied that a marriage took place. "They're not married. You don't see no ring on her finger..." "Aaliyah: An R&B Princess in Words and Pictures" by Kelly Kenyatta, p. 25. Aaliyah later admitted it was a "hard time for her and her family" p. 26. In conclusion, the R. Kelly-Aaliyah marriage was a marriage that was not. Aaliyah had never been married according to existing 1994 Illinois laws afforded state-wide reciprocity all over the country. Proof that Aaliyah had been present when the fraudulent certificate was executed is absent, and with the absence, Aaliyah's denial should provide final, definitive closure. |
Aaliyah Remembered2 |
Aaliyah Haughton |
The "Marriage" Issue |
"The Marriage That Was Not" |
Ever since Vibe magazine ran an article stating that Aaliyah and R. Kelly tied the know in a secret ceremony, the marriage issue has persisted. According to Vibe's article, Aaliyah and R. Kelly were purportedly married in August 1994 in Rosemont, Illinois. Despite Vibe's story, significant material evidence exists that Aaliyah and R. Kelly had never married. The evidence is listed below: 1. Vibe magazine based their story on only a single document, and sadly others have followed causing Aaliyah and her family great pain. This single piece of evidence is an INVALID and possibly fraudulent marriage certificate issued on August 31, 1994 in Rosemont, IL. While this document claims that R. Kelly and Aaliyah were married, Aaliyah's age was incorrectly listed as 18 at the time. This is a material misstatement under Illinois law which sets the minimum marriage age at 16 with parenteral or guardian consent and 18 without such consent. On August 31, 1994 Aaliyah was only 15 years old. BASED ON THIS ALONE, A MARRIAGE WAS NEVER CONSUMMATED OR EXISTED ACCORDING TO ILLINOIS LAW. 2. The County Clerk in issuing the above document failed to satisfy (750 ILCS 5/203)Sec. 203 of Illinois law which requires satisfactory proof that EACH party to the marriage will have attained the age of 18 years at the time the marriage license is effective or will have attained the age of 16 years and has either the consent to the marriage of both parents or his guardian or judicial approval; provided, if one parent cannot be located in order to obtain such consent and diligent efforts have been made to locate that parent by the consenting parent, then the consent of one parent plus a signed affidavit by the consenting parent which (i) names the absent parent and states that he or she cannot be located, and (ii) states what diligent efforts have been made to locate the absent parent... IN SHORT, PROOF OF AGE WAS NEVER ATTAINED AND NO EFFORT WAS MADE TO LOCATE AND/OR CONTACT AALIYAH'S PARENTS AS REQUIRED. 3. IT IS ALSO LIKELY THAT THIS SAME COUNTY CLERK AND THE PRESIDING ELDER NEVER TOOK REASONABLE STEPS TO ENSURE THAT THE ALLEGED PARTIES WERE IN FACT AALIYAH AND R. KELLY. It is plausible that reporters or others could have posed to create a story since in a worst case scenario, their actions would be a CLASS B MISDEMNOR under Illinois Law resulting in a likely fine and no incarceration. SINCE IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THE COUNTY CLERK CHECKED EACH PARTY'S IDENTIFICATION, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT AALIYAH HAD BEEN PRESENT AT THE PURPORTED WEDDING. HAD THE EACH PARTY'S IDENTIFICATION BEEN VERIFIED, THE AGE DISCREPANCY ON THE CERTIFICATE WOULD NOT HAVE EXISTED. 4. Legally VIBE could not be sued for publishing their story since a document WAS discovered in the public records office of Illinois which they could say led them to conclude that a marriage took place. After all, a reasonable person would have expected the County Clerk and presiding Elder to have taken necessary steps to ensure that the parties were who they claimed to be, were the ages they claimed to be, and that other State requirements were met. 5. Neither Aaliyah or R. Kelly ever acknowledged that such a marriage took place. In "Aaliyah: More Than A Woman" by Christopher John Farley, it's written "Kelly and Aaliyah, however, both denied that the marriage occurred and even denied that their relationship had ever moved beyond friendship. I saw [the Vibe article], but I don't really comment on that because I know it's not true," [Aaliyah] "said in December of 1994. 'When people ask me, I tell them, 'Hey don't believe all that mess. We're close and people took it the wrong way.''" "'I've told people time and time again that I'm not married," Kelly said in November of 1995. "I'm truly not married... I'm not married to Aaliyah whatever Vibe magazine wrote.'" -- pp. 46-47. 6. A Jive Records spokesman also denied that a marriage took place. "They're not married. You don't see no ring on her finger..." "Aaliyah: An R&B Princess in Words and Pictures" by Kelly Kenyatta, p. 25. Aaliyah later admitted it was a "hard time for her and her family" p. 26. In conclusion, the R. Kelly-Aaliyah marriage was a marriage that was not. Aaliyah had never been married according to existing 1994 Illinois laws afforded state-wide reciprocity all over the country. Proof that Aaliyah had been present when the fraudulent certificate was executed is absent, and with the absence, Aaliyah's denial should provide final, definitive closure. |
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