Singer R Kelly has turned himself over to authorities after being charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving four victims, including a 13-year-old.

Key points: Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse

Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse Three of the four alleged victims are minors between the age of 13 and 16

Three of the four alleged victims are minors between the age of 13 and 16 Kelly has denied sexual abuse allegations against him for years

Mr Kelly, 52, was charged in Cook County, Illinois, and turned himself in to police in Chicago on Friday evening, being driven to a police station in a dark coloured van with heavily tinted rear windows.

He did not respond to questions from gathered reporters as he walked inside the building.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted a short time later that Mr Kelly was under arrest.

He is expected to be held overnight before an appearance in bond court on Saturday.

In a press conference early on Friday, Chicago prosecutor Kimberly Foxx outlined the charges against Mr Kelly, saying they involved four victims.

According to records cited by the Chicago Sun-Times, the alleged crimes happened between 1998 and 2010, with three of the four victims being minors aged between 13 and 16.

A documentary series last month detailed abuse allegations against R Kelly. ( AP: M Spencer Green )

Each count carries up to seven years in prison.

If Mr Kelly is convicted on all 10 counts, a judge could decide that the sentences run one after the other — making it possible for him to receive up to 70 years behind bars. Probation is also an option under the statute.

Mr Kelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg, told reporters following the singer's arrest that one of the charges he faced appeared to be tied to a decade-old child pornography case.

"Double jeopardy should bar that case," Mr Greenberg said.

Mr Kelly, who was acquitted of the child pornography charge in 2008, has consistently denied any sexual misconduct.

Sorry, this video has expired Charges have been laid against R Kelly in Cook County, Illinois

Documentary series detailed 'sex cult' allegations

Mr Kelly, whose real name is Robert Kelly, was the subject of a television documentary series last month titled Surviving R Kelly in which multiple women made allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

The series, along with a BBC documentary, detailed allegations he was holding women against their will and running a "sex cult".

R Kelly has denied the allegations of sexual assault made against him. ( AP: Frank Micelotta )

He was charged a week after lawyer Michael Avenatti said he recently gave Chicago prosecutors new video evidence of the singer having sex with an underage girl. It was not immediately clear if the charges were connected to that video.

The I Believe I Can Fly singer and record producer has for years denied accusations of abuse, including claims he sexually abused underage girls and women and held some as virtual slaves.

In 2008, a jury acquitted him of child pornography charges over a graphic video that prosecutors said showed him having sex with a girl as young as 13.

He and the young woman allegedly depicted with him denied they were in the 27-minute video, even though the picture quality was good and witnesses testified it was them, and she did not take the stand. Mr Kelly could have received 15 years in prison.

Kelly's alleged victims hailed as heroes

In response to the charges, the producer of Surviving R Kelly took to Twitter to say the survivors of Mr Kelly's alleged abuse "are heroes".

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Others acknowledged the efforts of activists who pursued the singer for decades.

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Kelly 'never abused anyone' says lawyer

Mr Kelly's attorney said earlier this year his client was the victim of a TV hit piece, saying Mr Kelly "never knowingly had sex with an underage woman, he never forced anyone to do anything, he never held anyone captive, he never abused anyone".

Mr Kelly broke into the R&B scene in 1993 with his first solo album, 12 Play, which produced such popular sex-themed songs as Bump N' Grind and Your Body's Callin'.

Protesters called for the artist to be dropped by his record label. ( AP: Richard Drew )

Months after those successes, the then-27-year-old faced allegations he married 15-year-old Aaliyah, the R&B star who later died in a plane crash in the Bahamas. Mr Kelly was the lead songwriter and producer of Aaliyah's 1994 debut album.

The pair never confirmed the marriage, though Vibe magazine published a copy of the purported marriage licence. Court documents later obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times showed Aaliyah admitted lying about her age on the licence.

Mr Kelly's record label, Sony Music-owned RCA, split with the Chicago native last month following protests calling for him to be dropped from his recording contract.

Earlier this month Mr Kelly announced a tour of Australia, sparking calls for him to be denied entry to the country.

In May last year his music was removed from streaming service Spotify.

His arrest sets the stage for another #MeToo-era celebrity trial. Bill Cosby went to prison last year, and former Hollywood studio boss Harvey Weinstein is awaiting trial.

Reuters/ABC