One of the most bizarre and potentially disturbing stories of the year has been rumours of R. Kelly's so-called 'sex cult'.

Last month, Buzzfeed published an investigative piece that alleged that the r'n'b singer was essentially brainwashing a number of young women and keeping them captive in various homes that he owns.

Although he issued a strenuous denial via his lawyer, it seems that the story has already affected his livelihood as several gigs on his current 'After Party' tour in the US have been cancelled, reportedly because of poor ticket sales.

They include two dates in Louisiana, one in Dallas and one in Los Angeles (the latter of which was later claimed as a 'scheduling conflict') - although TMZ report that six others are going ahead as planned.

He took to Twitter to thank fans for their support after his gig in Virginia Beach at the weekend, which was 'half full', according to reports.