The Music desk

Musicians, producers and the people around them — what the courts, the charts and the internet made of them afterwards.

Every case below has closed: the answer is printed and the full story is on the case page. 2 of these 22 have been to the jury.

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Closed cases

CASE No. 87October 20, 2026 On live American television in 1992, this Irish singer finished an a cappella protest song, held up a photograph of Pope John Paul… It was Sinead O'Connor CASE No. 84October 17, 2026 Mid-set in Des Moines in 1982, something small landed on the stage in front of this singer. He picked it up, bit the head off it, … It was Ozzy Osbourne CASE No. 81October 14, 2026 Live on a 2004 sketch show, the wrong vocal track started playing while this pop singer stood at the microphone holding nothing at… It was Ashlee Simpson CASE No. 79October 12, 2026 Long before the beauty empire made her a billionaire, this Barbadian pop superstar had quietly built a foundation named after her … It was Rihanna CASE No. 75October 8, 2026 Told to get the booed singer off the stage at a 1992 tribute concert, this songwriter and actor walked out to her instead and said… It was Kris Kristofferson CASE No. 74October 7, 2026 · 57% SOLVED Told that fans were being charged service fees that nearly doubled the $20 tickets he had insisted on, this English frontman said … It was Robert Smith CASE No. 70October 3, 2026 At 92, this mathematician turned songwriter put every lyric and every score he had ever written online and told the world to help … It was Tom Lehrer CASE No. 65September 28, 2026 In June 2024, this former boy-band frontman was pulled over in the Hamptons after a hotel dinner and told officers he'd had 'one m… It was Justin Timberlake CASE No. 60September 23, 2026 Caught with heroin in a hotel room, this veteran guitarist walked out of court without a day in prison — the judge instead ordered… It was Keith Richards CASE No. 59September 22, 2026 This big-haired New Jersey rock institution runs restaurants with no prices on the menu — you pay what you can, pay extra to cover… It was Jon Bon Jovi CASE No. 58September 21, 2026 In 2020, the world learned this rhinestoned country legend had quietly bankrolled vaccine research with a $1 million donation — on… It was Dolly Parton CASE No. 56September 19, 2026 In 2014 this hard-rock drummer telephoned a man in New Zealand and told him he was coming over to kill him — a call that cost him … It was Phil Rudd CASE No. 53September 16, 2026 In December 2025 the governor of Tennessee pardoned this tattooed country-rap singer from Antioch for the felonies of his youth — … It was Jelly Roll CASE No. 46September 9, 2026 A New York judge ruled in 1976 that this former member of a very famous band had copied a girl-group hit from 1963 for one of his … It was George Harrison CASE No. 42September 5, 2026 A Los Angeles jury decided in 1994 that this big-voiced balladeer had lifted a 1960s soul record for one of his own hits — and han… It was Michael Bolton CASE No. 34August 28, 2026 Crossing the line at the 2026 London Marathon in three hours twenty-one, this green-skinned witch of a 2024 blockbuster was met by… It was Cynthia Erivo CASE No. 25August 19, 2026 In 2022, this chart-topping Bronx rapper pleaded guilty over a 2018 strip-club brawl — flying bottles included — and settled the t… It was Cardi B CASE No. 23August 17, 2026 Receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018, this laid-back West Coast rap institution closed his speech by thanking … It was Snoop Dogg CASE No. 10August 4, 2026 Fifty seconds into a 19-year-old's first VMA acceptance speech in 2009, this Chicago superproducer-turned-rapper climbed onstage, … It was Kanye West CASE No. 9August 3, 2026 In December 2014, this stadium-filling songwriter spent weeks studying her own fans' social media, then mailed them hand-wrapped p… It was Taylor Swift CASE No. 6July 31, 2026 Since 2007, this '80s crooner with the impossible baritone has been the unwitting engine of the internet's most wholesome prank — … It was Rick Astley CASE No. 2July 27, 2026 In January 2014, this baby-faced pop idol was arrested in Miami Beach after allegedly drag-racing a rented yellow Lamborghini — an… It was Justin Bieber

How the jury has ruled across the whole archive →

*Every puzzle is drawn from widely reported, public-record events — court records, official rulings, and moments that unfolded on live television. Allegedly.
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