Milli Vanilli

This infamous pop duo comprised Rob Pilatus (b. 8 June 1965, New York, USA, d. 3 April 1998, Frankfurt, Germany) who was brought up in an orphanage, and Fabrice Morvan (b. 14 May 1966), who was training to be a trampoline athlete until a fall damaged his neck. Based in Germany, they worked as dancers for various German groups, before forming their own duo combining rap and soul, taking their name from a New York club. They enjoyed huge international hits between 1988 and 1989 with "Girl You Know It's True" (US number 2/UK number 3), "Baby Don't Forget My Number" (US number 1), "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" (US number 1/UK number 2), and "Blame It On The Rain" (US number 1) before suffering a major backlash when they were exposed as frontmen for a "group" fabricated by Boney M producer Frank Farian. The duo had apparently been chosen for their looks and were effectively locked out of the studio when recording took place. After handing back music industry awards (including a Best New Artist Grammy), they promised to return with a new contract and their own voices. However, Farian re-launched the group in 1991 as the Real Milli Vanilli, using Brad Howell, Johnny Davis and Charles Shaw, the singers from the original studio sessions. Pilatus, who had already spent time in jail for parole violation, died of an overdose in Frankfurt, Germany in April 1998, marking a sordid end to the Milli Vanilli story.

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