Aaliyah's family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the aircraft's operator, Blackhawk International Airways, which was settled out of court. The pilot was later found to have traces of cocaine and alcohol in his body and was not qualified to fly the aircraft designated for the flight. On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah died at the age of 22 in an airplane accident in the Bahamas, when the badly overloaded aircraft she was traveling in crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all nine on board. After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah filmed her role in Queen of the Damned, and released, in 2001, her self-titled third and final studio album, which topped the Billboard 200. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 solely on airplay, making Aaliyah the first artist in Billboard history to achieve this goal. She contributed to the film's soundtrack, which spawned the single ' Try Again'. In 2000, Aaliyah appeared in her first film, Romeo Must Die. After facing allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed with Atlantic Records.Īaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One in a Million, which sold three million copies in the United States and more than eight million copies worldwide. The album sold three million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number. At the age of 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the 'Princess of R&B' and 'Queen of Urban Pop'.īorn in Brooklyn but raised in Detroit, she first gained recognition at the age of 10, when she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( / ɑː ˈ l iː ə/ January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001), known mononymously as Aaliyah, was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model.

Aaliyah 1 in a million pictures