SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois officials say a concert in Springfield that was to be hosted by R. Kelly cannot take place in the wake of new sexual misconduct allegations against the R&B star.
Illinois Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Denise Albert told the Chicago Tribune that the application for the Spring Break Jam in April was denied Thursday because of security concerns following protests outside Kelly's Chicago studio this week.
Kelly has been under fire since the recent airing of a Lifetime documentary ``Surviving R. Kelly.''
``Surviving R. Kelly'' follows the BBC's ``R Kelly: Sex, Girls & Videotapes,'' which was released last year. It alleged that the singer was holding women against their will and running a ``sex cult.''
He has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct involving women and underage girls.
Activists from the #MeToo and #MuteRKelly social media movements have seized on the renewed attention to call for streaming services to drop Kelly's music and promoters not to book any more concerts. Kelly's estranged daughter, Joann Kelly, whose stage name is Buku Abi, called him a ``monster'' in a post on Instagram on Thursday, though she did not make any allegations.
A tip that Kelly was holding two women against their will prompted Chicago police to visit his residence Friday in Chicago's Trump Tower. Officers interviewed Kelly and the women but found no evidence of wrongdoing.