R&B singer R. Kelly married Aaliyah, a pop star who died tragically in a plane crash in 2001, when she was just 15 years old, because he believed she was pregnant, according to his former tour manager, Demetrius Smith.

Smith testified in Brooklyn federal court in August 2021, as part of Kelly’s s^x crimes and racketeering trial.

Smith said Kelly married his underage girlfriend to protect himself and Aaliyah from any legal consequences after discovering she was pregnant.

“Aaliyah is in trouble, we need to go home,” Smith said Kelly told him during a concert in Orlando, Florida, around 1994. “Aaliyah, man, she thinks she’s pregnant.”

Kelly left the tour immediately, flying back to Chicago, where he married Aaliyah in a hotel.

Smith said he felt uncomfortable with how flirtatious Kelly was with Aaliyah, who was just 13 years old when they met in 1992.

“I just thought they were too playful, too friendly…he was seducing her,” Smith said.

Smith said he met Kelly through Aaliyah’s uncle and Kelly’s manager, Barry Hankerson.

In his testimony, Smith revealed that he bribed a public employee with $500 to get Aaliyah a fake ID so that the wedding could take place.

Lawyers for Kelly also presented a 1994 marriage certificate during the trial that showed Aaliyah lied about her age and claimed to be 18 years old when marrying Kelly, who was 27 at the time.

The testimony came just before the 20th anniversary of Aaliyah’s death and the release of her sophomore album, “One in a Million,” on streaming platforms.

Kelly wrote much of Aaliyah’s first record, “Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number,” Smith noted during the trial.

Kelly has been accused of s^xual assault and abuse of multiple underage girls and women over the past few decades. He has repeatedly denied these allegations.

The trial focused on a range of allegations, including racketeering and s=x trafficking, and was expected to last several weeks. If convicted, Kelly could face up to life in prison.

Kelly’s trial has drawn significant media attention, with many people speaking out against him and calling for justice for his alleged victims.

One such individual is Aaliyah’s mother, Diane Haughton, who issued a statement through her lawyer in August 2021, calling Kelly a “monster” and demanding justice for her daughter.

Haughton’s statement read, in part: “It is our sincerest hope that this trial will finally reveal the truth and bring justice for Aaliyah, justice for all of the victims of these heinous crimes, and justice for their families who have been left to pick up the pieces.”