Rob Pilatus

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Rob Pilatus

Pilatus, right
Background information
Birth name Robert Pilatus
Born June 8, 1965(1965-06-08)
Died April 2, 1998 (aged 32)
Frankfurt, Germany
Genres Dance, pop, rap, funk
Years active 1988–1998
Labels Arista Records, BMG, Hansa Records, Taj
Associated acts Empire Bizarre, Milli Vanilli, The Real Milli Vanilli, Rob & Fab

Robert "Rob" Pilatus (June 8, 1965 – April 2, 1998) was a German-American model, dancer and singer. Pilatus was best known as half of the pop music duo Milli Vanilli.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Pilatus was born in Germany, the son of an African American soldier and a German mother who was an adult entertainer. Pilatus was later adopted by a German family and raised in Munich. He worked as a model and break dancer, before joining Fabrice Morvan in 1988 to form the pop group Milli Vanilli.[1]

[edit] Milli Vanilli

Pilatus and Morvan were noticed by music producer Frank Farian, who signed them to be part of a musical act. Shortly after a trip to Turkey, where the duo was reputed to have gotten the band name from a local advertising slogan, Milli Vanilli was born, with Pilatus and Morvan serving as the public faces for the vocal talents of Charles Shaw and Brad Howell, who Farian thought were talented musicians but lacked a marketable image.[2]

The first Milli Vanilli platinum album was Girl You Know It's True which became a worldwide hit. The album produced five hit singles including three number 1 hits, "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You", "Baby Don't Forget My Number" and "Blame It On The Rain".[3] Milli Vanilli won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist on February 21, 1990 for "Girl You Know It's True".[4]

Despite the enormous success, the duo were a frequent target of rumours and allegations of on-stage lip-synching and not having sung on the album. Charles Shaw, one of the actual vocalists of Milli Vanilli, told a reporter about the truth of the group's secret, but later retracted his statement after Farian paid him $150,000.[5]

When Pilatus and Morvan pressured Farian to let them sing on the next album, Farian revealed the truth to reporters on November 15, 1990 that Pilatus and Morvan did not actually sing on the records and their voices were dubbed. Milli Vanilli's Grammy award was withdrawn four days later,[6] and Arista Records dropped the act from its roster and deleted their album and songs from their catalog, making Girl You Know It's True the largest-selling album to ever be taken out of print. A court ruling in the United States allowed anyone who had bought the album to get a refund.[7]

Farian would later attempt a failed comeback for the group without Pilatus and Morvan. Months after the scandal, Pilatus and Morvan appeared in a commercial for CareFree Sugarless Gum. The duo begin to lip sync to an opera record. An announcer asks while they are lip synching, "How long does the taste of CareFree Sugarless Gum last?" The record then begins to skip and then the announcer answers, "Until these guys sing for themselves."[8]

In 1993, the duo signed with a new label, Taj, and released an eponymous album featuring their real voices, but the album sold an embarrassing 2,000 copies[2]; to make matters worse, the label went bankrupt shortly thereafter.[9]

[edit] Death

In the years following the demise of Milli Vanilli, Pilatus struggled with substance abuse and suicide attempts. After the duo's unsuccessful comeback attempt, they stopped speaking to each other. In 1996, Pilatus served three months in jail for assault, vandalism, and attempted robbery. He also spent six months in drug rehabilitation, before returning to Germany from the United States.[10]

On April 2, 1998, Pilatus was found dead of a suspected alcohol and prescription pill overdose in a Frankfurt hotel room.[1][10] Pilatus' death was ruled accidental.[11]

[edit] Film and Milli Vanilli Greatest Hits album

On February 14, 2007, it was announced that Universal Pictures was developing a film based on the true story of Milli Vanilli's rise and fall in the music industry. Jeff Nathanson, screenwriter from Catch Me If You Can, will write and direct the film. [12][13]

On March 26, 2007, the Greatest Hits album was released.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Milli Vanilli

[edit] Rob & Fab

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Milli Vanilli's Pilatus Dead". mtv.com. 1998-04-06. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1432182/19980406/milli_vanilli.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-07-25. 
  2. ^ a b Pilikington, Ed (2007-02-07). "Hollywood pays lip service to Milli Vanilli". guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/feb/15/usa.musicnews. Retrieved 2008-07-25. 
  3. ^ "Milli Vanilli: Billboard Chart History". billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=5209&model.vnuAlbumId=244769. Retrieved 2008-07-25. 
  4. ^ Guzmán, Rafer (2008-02-10). "Not every Grammy decision was a winner". newsday.com. http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/fanfare/ny-ffmus5567351feb10,0,5317518.story. Retrieved 2008-07-25. 
  5. ^ Goodman, Fred; Trakin, Roy (1990-11-30). "Artificial Vanilli". ew.com. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,318744,00.html. Retrieved 2008-07-25. 
  6. ^ Holden, Stephen (1990-12-05). "Winner of Grammy Lost By Milli Vanilli: No One". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2D71F3DF936A35751C1A966958260. Retrieved 2008-07-25. 
  7. ^ Dowell, Gary; Evans, Isaiah (Heritage Capital Corporation). Halperin, James L.. ed. Heritage Music and Entertainment Dallas Signature Auction Catalog #622. Jones, Kim. 2006. pp. 34. ISBN 1-599-67081-X. 
  8. ^ Elliott, Stuart (1991-06-14). "Milli Vanilli Appears Again". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEEDE1331F937A25755C0A967958260. Retrieved 2008-07-25. 
  9. ^ Strauss, Neil (1998-04-07). "Robert Pilatus, 32, Performer In Disgraced Band Milli Vanilli". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00EED8113AF934A35757C0A96E958260. Retrieved 2008-07-25. 
  10. ^ a b Chris, Willman. "The Sad Truth". ew.com. pp. 2. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,282696_2,00.html. Retrieved 2008-07-25. 
  11. ^ "Milli Vanilli's Pilatus Dead At 33". rollingstone.com. 1998-04-07. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/millivanilli/articles/story/5927796/milli_vanillis_pilatus_dead_at_33. Retrieved 2008-07-25. 
  12. ^ Variety.com : Universal sets up Milli Vanilli film, by Michael Fleming, February 14, 2007.
  13. ^ RollingStone.com : Girl, You Know It's True: Milli Vanilli Biopic will reveal the truth (!), by Nicole Frehsee, February 20, 2007

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Pilatus"