1: News Special: Milli Vanilli
Apr 7, 1997
As Milli Vanilli, Rob Pilatus and Fabrizio Morvan won the hearts of millions, but when their deception was revealed after their win of a Best New Artist Grammy, the public’s shock and disappointment gave way to contempt. The two lip-synching hunks became the butt of jokes and were ostracized by the music industry. For Rob who’d dreamed only of stardom all his life, the fall from grace was nothing less than a nightmare. Both he and Fab turned to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain but Rob found himself unable to stop. He sat down for an interview with VH1 after a second stint in rehab, eerily foreshadowing his own death with talks of friends who had overdosed. In April of 1998 Rob was discovered by his “svengali” Frank Farian in a German hotel room; his heart had failed due to a deadly combination of alcohol and prescription pills. Friends and colleagues remember the fragile, peaceful soul who never got over his youthful mistake.