Rob Pilatus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rob Pilatus
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Pilatus at the 1990 Grammy Awards rehearsal
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Pilatus |
| Born | 8 June 1965 Munich, West Germany |
| Died | 3 April 1998 (aged 32) Friedrichsdorf, Germany |
| Genres | |
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| Years active | 1988–1998 |
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Robert Pilatus (born June 8, 1965 – died April 3, 1998) was a German singer, dancer, model, and rapper. He was famous as one half of the pop music duo Milli Vanilli, alongside Fab Morvan.
Contents
Biography
Early life and career
Rob Pilatus was born in Munich, West Germany. He spent his first four years in an orphanage before being adopted by a family in Munich. As a child, he felt like an outsider in Germany.
When he was a teenager, Pilatus left his adoptive home. He started working as a model and a breakdancer. He also performed as a backing singer with the group Wind at the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest in Brussels.
In 1988, he met Fab Morvan in Munich. They both worked as models and dancers. They formed a short-lived group called "Empire Bizarre." This group had three members: Pilatus, Morvan, and Charliene. They released one song called "Dansez" in 1988. Rob sang lead vocals and played bass guitar for the group.
Milli Vanilli's rise to fame
Pilatus and Morvan continued to pursue music. They were noticed by German music producer Frank Farian. He signed them to be part of a new music act. They signed contracts with Farian without getting legal advice.
After a trip to Turkey, the duo formed Milli Vanilli. Pilatus and Morvan were surprised when Farian told them they would not be singing on their records. They first said no, but they could not pay back the money they had already received. They had used this money to improve their look with new clothes and their famous hair extensions. So, they decided to continue with the plan for a short time. They hoped to earn enough money to pay back the advance.
This meant they would be the public faces for songs that were already recorded by other singers. These singers included Charles Shaw and Brad Howell. Farian believed these singers had great voices but did not look like pop stars. Farian had done this before with other groups, like Boney M.
Worldwide success and controversy
Milli Vanilli's first album, Girl You Know It's True, became a huge hit around the world. It sold millions of copies and produced five hit songs. Three of these songs reached number one: "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You," "Baby Don't Forget My Number," and "Blame It On The Rain." Milli Vanilli even won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist on February 21, 1990, for their album Girl You Know It's True.
Milli Vanilli quickly became very famous and rich. This made it hard for Pilatus and Morvan to leave their agreement with Farian. Their good looks and exciting dance moves helped them become very successful on stage.
After a few years, people started to spread rumors that Pilatus and Morvan were not actually singing. Charles Shaw, one of the real singers on their records, told the media the truth. However, he later changed his story after Farian paid him money.
Pilatus and Morvan wanted to sing on their next album. When they pushed Farian to let them, he told reporters on November 15, 1990, that the duo had not sung on the recordings. Four days later, Milli Vanilli's Grammy Award was taken away. Pilatus and Morvan later said they felt it was the right thing to do to give back the Grammy Award themselves.
Their record label, Arista Records, ended their contract. They also removed Milli Vanilli's album and songs from their music catalog. This made Girl You Know It's True the biggest-selling album ever to be taken out of print. A court in the United States allowed anyone who bought the album to get their money back.
Later projects and death
Farian tried to help the duo make a comeback, but it did not work out. Pilatus and Morvan decided to spend some time apart to improve their lives. Months after the media backlash, they appeared in a funny commercial for Carefree Sugarless chewing gum. In the ad, they jokingly lip-synched to an opera song.
In 1992, Pilatus and Morvan signed with a new record label called Taj. They released an album called Rob & Fab, which featured their own voices. However, the album only sold about 2,000 copies because it was not widely released. The record label soon went out of business.
On April 3, 1998, Rob Pilatus was found dead in a hotel room in Friedrichsdorf, Germany. This happened just before a new Milli Vanilli album, Back and in Attack, was supposed to be released. This new album would have featured Pilatus and Morvan singing lead vocals. His death was ruled accidental. The album was never released.
Rob Pilatus is buried in the Munich Waldfriedhof cemetery.
Discography
Milli Vanilli
Rob and Fab
- Rob & Fab (1993)
Film
A film about Milli Vanilli called Girl You Know It's True was directed and written by Simon Verhoeven. It was filmed in places like Munich, Berlin, Cape Town, and Los Angeles. The movie stars Tijan Njie as Rob Pilatus and Elan Ben Ali as Fab Morvan. Matthias Schweighöfer plays music producer Frank Farian. The film was released in cinemas in 2023. Jasmin Davis, the daughter of John Davis (one of the real singers), and Brad Howell (another real singer) were involved as associate producers. Carmen Pilatus, Rob Pilatus's sister, also helped as an associate producer.
There were earlier attempts to make a movie about Milli Vanilli, but they did not happen. In 2007, it was announced that Universal Pictures was planning a film about their story. Jeff Nathanson, a screenwriter, was set to write and direct it. Fab Morvan was going to help as a consultant to share his and Pilatus's side of the story. However, this movie project was never finished.
See also
In Spanish: Rob Pilatus para niños
