(Bloomberg) -- Singer R. Kelly was criminally charged with sexually abusing multiple minors, capping a dramatic downfall for one of the biggest-selling R&B artists of all time.

The charges against the musician were disclosed Friday in indictments issued by a grand jury in Chicago state court.

The singer of “Bump n’ Grind’’ and “Ignition’’ has been dogged by accusations of sexual misconduct dating back to the mid-1990s. He also drew outcry for marrying the 15-year-old singer Aaliyah in 1994.

The longstanding allegations have only begun to take a toll on his career in recent years. He has been increasingly isolated from the music industry -- a shift that accelerated with the release of the documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly,’’ which included accounts from his alleged victims.

Kelly’s long-time record label, RCA Records, severed ties with the artist in January. And several of his collaborators, including Chance the Rapper and Lady Gaga, asked that their songs be taken off streaming services.

--With assistance from Edvard Pettersson and Janan Hanna.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lucas Shaw in Los Angeles at lshaw31@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Peter Blumberg

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