Milli Vanilli was a duo, Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus, formed in Germany in the mid-1980s. They are notorious for being the only group to have their Grammy Award stripped from them after it was revealed that they had not been involved in the creation of their breakthrough album, Girl You Know It's True and did not sing in concert. They have since been used as an example of utter shallowness in music, though they were hardly unique at the time. Other bands, including C&C Music Factory and Black Box, were also fronted by lip-syncers.

Frank Farian used Pilatus and Morvan to front Charles Shaw, Johnny Davis and Brad Howell; he felt that these musicians were talented but unmarketable. Their first album was All or Nothing (1988 in music), which was a European hit and, belatedly, an American hit too. Despite critical pans, Milli Vanilli's fame continued to grow worldwide even after Charles Shaw told a reporter the truth; he later retracted his statement after Farian paid him off. Milli Vanilli won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1990 for their second album, Girl You Know It's True (1990 in music). Pilatus was ridiculed in the press for comparing himself to Paul McCartney, Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan; he also developed a cocaine problem. With Morvan and Pilatus pressuring him to let them sing on the next album, Farian revealed the truth to reporters. The Grammy was rescinded; Arista dropped it from its rosters and a court ruling in the US allowed anyone who had bought the album to get a refund.

Farian tried to reform the band as the Real Milli Vanilli, but the resulting LP Moment of Truth was an utter failure. Pilatus tried to commit suicide soon after, then rejoined with Morvan as Rob & Fab. After a few more tries, Pilatus began a series of criminal problems, arrested for assault and vandalism, among other crimes, in Los Angeles. In 1998, Pilatus was found dead of an overdose of drugs and alcohol in Frankfurt, Germany.