What happened to Milli Vanilli? Lip sync scandal and tragic death
Here's everything you need to know about the group as their documentary airs on Paramount Plus.
By now, you've probably tuned into Milli Vanilli's documentary, which launched on Paramount Plus this week (Tuesday 24th October), after premiering at the Tribeca Festival in June this year.
Featuring rare archival footage, exclusive interviews with group members Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus and the real singers and record executives, the film explores the circumstances surrounding the duo's meteoric rise to fame and devastating fall.
The German-French R&B group became one of the most popular acts in the 1980s and '90s, however, their fame soon turned to shame when it was discovered that Morvan and Pilatus did not sing any of the vocals on their music releases, with the pair lip syncing instead.
The scandal led to their awards being revoked, as their music career dwindled.
But what exactly happened to Milli Vanilli after this? And who are the real singers behind Milli Vanilli?
Read on for everything you need to know about the duo, including the infamous lip sync scandal and tragic death of Rob Pilatus.
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Who were Milli Vanilli?
Founded by Frank Farian in 1988, Milli Vanilli was a German-French R&B group made up of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus.
Together, the duo became one of the biggest pop acts 0f the '80s and '90s, with millions of records sold.
At the peak of their success, Milli Vanilli performed in front of a sold-out audience at the Cajundome in Lafayette.
Their debut album, titled All or Nothing in Europe and later called Girl You Know It's True in the US, achieved huge success around the world, leading to the duo winning a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1990.
Lip sync scandal
Milli Vanilli's fall from grace came in 1989 during a live performance on MTV in July. During the song Girl You Know It's True, a hard drive caused the song to skip.
"I knew right then and there it was the beginning of the end for Milli Vanilli," said Pilatus. "When my voice got stuck in the computer, and it just kept repeating and repeating, I panicked. I didn't know what to do. I just ran off the stage."
Their Grammy award was eventually revoked.
The real voices behind Milli Vanilli were eventually revealed to be Brad Howell and John Davis, who are the two main voices heard on the recordings of hits including Girl You Know It's True, Baby Don't Forget My Number, Girl I'm Gonna Miss You, Blame It on the Rain and All or Nothing.
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What happened to Milli Vanilli?
After the lip sync scandal was revealed, Fab and Rob recorded a comeback album using their own voices in 1998, titled Back and in Attack.
Sadly, Rob Pilatus died of an accidental drug and alcohol overdose at the age of 32 on the night before the promotional tour for the album.
The album has never been released.
Milli Vanilli is available to stream on Paramount+. Check out more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.
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