The short-lived band Milli Vanilli consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus and played German R&B music. They were popular in the late 80s and early 90s, selling millions of records worldwide. Interestingly, their reputation suffered a blow when people realized that the duo didn’t sing in any of their songs.
Milli Vanilli’s lip sync scandal changed the rules of music for the good. According to the Independent, German producer Frank Farian was the brains behind this project. Their music had the classic 80s vibe, and fans across Europe and the USA adored them. Some of their most famous songs are “Blame It On The Rain” and “Girl You Know It’s True. Furthermore, their 1989 album Girl You Know It’s True earned them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1990.
Milli Vanilli enjoyed considerable success until their July 1989 MTV live performance. Radio Times reported that during this endeavor, fans realized that the duo wasn’t singing their songs because a hard drive caused the song Girl You Know It’s True to be skipped. The moment this occurred, Pilatus realized that their secret had been exposed. He once recalled the incident by stating that once people learned the truth, Milli Vanilli’s fans numbered. When the computer kept repeating his voice, he panicked and fled the stage. Pilatus stated, “When my voice got stuck in the computer, and it just kept repeating and repeating, I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. I just ran off the stage.”
Once Milli Vanilli’s lip sync scandal came under the limelight, they returned their 1990 Grammy Award. Eventually, with zero credibility left, Pilatus and Morvan went their separate ways in the same year.
The 2023 Luke Korem-directed Paramount+ documentary Milli Vanilli explored this duo’s rise and fall.
What happened to Rob Pilatus, and where is Fab Morvan now?
According to Radio Times, the real voices behind Milli Vanilli’s music were Brad Howell and John Davis. Following their humiliating revelation, Ron Pilatus and Fab Morvan were inactive for several years. However, in 1998, the duo came back together, and to redeem themselves, they recorded a comeback album titled Back and in Attack. Unfortunately, this album never came out because Pilatus died in the same year. Per The Washington Post, Pilatus was heavily addicted to drugs and died in a hotel room on April 2, 1998, after consuming pills and alcohol.
According to People Magazine, Fab Morvan, now 57, lives with his family in Amsterdam. Morvan’s family consists of his partner, Tessa van der Steen, and four children, Sacha, Solange, Paris, and Vince. Fatherhood has substantially helped him move on from his past. However, music remains one of his first loves. He stated, “I said to myself, ‘Hey, let’s go for it. You’ve got nothing to lose. I saw the light at the end of the tunnel.” Even though Milli Vanilli is infamous for the lip sync scandal, Morvan has accepted its convoluted legacy. Interestingly, he credits his time with the German R&B for this current state of peace and stability.
