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Aaliyah Dana Haughton

A star in the RB world before she was even out of her teens, Aaliyah's promising career was tragically cut short by her death in a plane crash at age 22. Even with only three albums under her belt, she'd already earned a place as a talented trendsetter among the RB elite. Following a successful transition to a more mature image, Aaliyah played a major role in popularizing the stuttering, futuristic production style that consumed hip-hop and urban soul in the late '90s. Her work with Timbaland, especially, was some of the most forward-looking RB of its time, even while the competing neo-soul movement was gaining prominence. Aaliyah's death came on the heels of her third and most accomplished album, making it especially unfortunate that she was robbed of a chance to continue her creative development.



Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, and named after a Swahili word meaning "most exalted one." Her uncle, Barry Hankerson, was a manager and entertainment lawyer who was married to Gladys Knight for a time, and her mother, also a singer, enrolled Aaliyah in voice lessons before she'd even started school. Still very young, she moved with her family to Detroit, where she sang in several school plays. At age nine, she successfully auditioned for the TV show Star Search, where she performed "My Funny Valentine" (and lost). Two years later, thanks to her uncle Hankerson's connections, she spent five nights in Las Vegas performing as part of Gladys Knight's revue. In addition to his niece, Hankerson was also managing a rising RB star named R. Kelly, and introduced the two in 1992. Kelly soon took Aaliyah under his wing and began writing and producing songs for her.



Aaliyah's debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, was released in the summer of 1994 and quickly became a platinum-selling hit on the strength of two smash singles, "Back Forth" and "At Your Best (You Are Love)" (the latter an Isley Brothers cover). Both songs hit the pop Top Ten and went gold, and "Back Forth" went all the way to number one on the RB charts, while "At Your Best" fell one spot short. Late in the year, Aaliyah found herself at the center of controversy when rumors spread that the 15-year-old singer had married Kelly, who was more than ten years her senior. Although both camps were resolutely tight-lipped, documents later confirmed that the two had wed in the state of Illinois that August and gotten an annulment shortly thereafter. By the time the media buzz died down, the two had parted ways both personally and creatively.



In 1996, Aaliyah released her follow-up album, One in a Million, which signaled a newly emerging maturity. She worked with several different producers, most notably Timbaland, who co-wrote several tracks with his songwriting partner, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott (soon to become a solo star in her own right). Several of these -- "If Your Girl Only Knew," "One in a Million," "4 Page Letter" -- became hits, with "If Your Girl Only Knew" going all the way to the top of the RB charts. The Diane Warren-penned ballad "The One I Gave My Heart To" was also a Top Ten RB hit, and One in a Million wound up going double platinum. In the meantime, Aaliyah graduated from high school (in 1997) and contributed several songs to film soundtracks. "Journey to the Past," from Anastasia, was nominated for an Oscar, and in early 1998 she had a major hit with "Are You That Somebody?" from Eddie Murphy's Dr. Dolittle (in which she also made a cameo appearance).



Aaliyah took her time recording a follow-up, and put the process completely on hold to start an acting career. She co-starred with martial-arts master Jet Li and rapper DMX in 2000's urban Shakespeare adaptation Romeo Must Die, and her accompanying soundtrack single, "Try Again," became her first number one hit on the pop charts that summer. Aaliyah subsequently completed filming on the Anne Rice vampire flick Queen of the Damned, playing the title role as a vampire queen, and was cast in a prominent role in the two sequels to The Matrix. Plus, she finally finished her long-awaited third album, with Timbaland again handling the most prominent tracks. Released in the summer of 2001, Aaliyah completed the singer's image overhaul into a sensual yet sensitive adult. The record received excellent reviews, and the first single, "We Need a Resolution," was a Top 20 RB hit.



About a month after the album's release, Aaliyah traveled to the Bahamas to film a video for its second single, "Rock the Boat." On August 25, she and several members of the crew boarded a small twin-engine Cessna plane returning to the mainland. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff, exploding on impact; Aaliyah and seven other passengers were killed instantly, and the ninth later died at a Nassau hospital. Investigations into the crash showed that the plane had been loaded far past its weight capacity, and that pilot Luis Morales had recently been arrested for crack cocaine possession (traces of which, along with alcohol, were found in his system); furthermore, the charter company, Blackhawk International Airways, had not authorized him to pilot the craft in question. Naturally, the RB community reacted with an outpouring of shock and sorrow, and Aaliyah became the singer's only chart-topping album, eventually going double platinum. "Rock the Boat" and "More Than a Woman" were both posthumous Top Ten hits on the RB chart, and Queen of the Damned was a commercial success upon its release in early 2002, topping the box office in its first week. As details continued to emerge from the plane crash investigation, Aaliyah's parents filed suit against Blackhawk Airways, Virgin Records, and several other companies. At the end of 2002, the posthumous album I Care 4 U entered the charts at number three; it mixed some of the singer's biggest hits with a selection of unreleased material. The title track was a Top 20 pop hit, and "Miss You" topped the RB charts early the next year. Steve Huey, All Music Guide



Brooklyn-born and Detroit-raised R&B singer Aaliyah hit the big time in her early teens with a spate of hit records before she embarked at the ripe old age of twenty on a film acting career. A losing appearance on "Star Search" at age eleven failed to hold back the young dynamo, who performed later that same year with Gladys Knight (former wife of her uncle/manager Barry Hankerton), singing with the legend for a five-night Las Vegas engagement in 1990. Within four years, Aaliyah would have two gold singles to her credit and was a proven multitalented performer, starring in compelling music videos that showcased her dance moves as well as her songs. As her debut album "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number" headed up the charts on the strength of the hits "Back and Forth" and "At Your Best (You Are Love)", Aaliyah, whose sultry voice and adult image belied her tender age, found herself the target of some less-than-positive attention when it was reported the then fifteen-year-old had wed friend and producer R. Kelly (a man over ten years her senior). A marriage license issued in the state of Illinois with the pair's name on it and Kelly's refusal to comment only fueled the fires of scandal, and the two were unceremoniously booed at that year's Soul Train Music Awards.

Following this upheaval, Aaliyah changed record labels, hooked up with producers Jermaine Dupri and Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott and recorded her follow up, the successful and critically lauded "One in a Million" (1996). The album introduced the singer's new, more mature sound and focused on her undeniable talent and range, fusing hip-hop beats with R&B grooves in a way that harkened back to a younger Mary J. Blige. Although her parents managed Aaliyah, the teen singer's videos and appearances were marked by a non-overt sexuality that she carried with easy confidence. Remarkably, her sensual image was altogether natural, where such attempts at more adult fare by contemporaries like Brandy smacked of forced Lolita-like precociousness. In 1997, Aaliyah contributed her vocals to the animated feature "Anastasia", singing the Oscar-nominated theme "Journey to the Past" over the end credits, and subsequently on the Academy Awards telecast in March 1998. Her performance of that same song on a 1997 episode of "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" so impressed producers of the then-developing Broadway musical "Aida" that she was invited to audition. While Aaliyah didn't land that stage role, film would continue to offer her hit-making opportunities; she scored with the Grammy-nominated "Are You That Somebody?" from the "Dr. Dolittle" soundtrack in 1998.

Aaliyah's next film project "Romeo Must Die" (2000) not only featured her hit song "Try Again", but also marked the singer's film acting debut. She starred opposite Jet Li in this modern day multicultural crime world reworking of Shakespeare's tragic romance, playing Trish O'Day, daughter of an African-American crime lord (Delroy Lindo) at odds with a rival Chinese gang whose allies include the vengeance-bent Jet Li. Soon Aaliyah and Jet Li's characters fall in love, much to the disapproval of their warring families. Aaliyah brought a crucial toughness and quiet grace to her role, making an auspicious film debut in this music-infused actioner. Her relatively mysterious real-life persona (routinely dodging age questions and nearly always donning sunglasses) made her transition to the screen all the more seamless, allowing the public to readily believe her portrayals, where an artist with a more realized personality would be less credible.

Landing a starring role in the Anne Rice adaptation "The Queen of the Damned" (2002) as the eponymous vampire royalty proved her acting career wasn't just a fluke. Aaliyah was subsequently cast in the back-to-back sequels "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix 3", set to have a small role in the former, which would expand to a co-starring role in the latter and was also picked to head up the cast of the remake "Sparkle". The release of her long-awaited self-titled third album in 2001 spawned the hit "We Need a Resolution" and debuted at number two on Billboards album charts. Tragically, after filming the music video for the follow-up single "Rock the Boat" in the Bahamas on August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were killed when their plane crashed just moments after take off, cutting short a most promising film and music career.

Talented. Beautiful. Modest. These three words described R&B singer-turned-actress Aaliyah perfectly. Born in Brooklyn, New York but raised in Detroit, Aaliyah got her first major exposure appearing on the syndicated television series "Star Search" (1983) where she awed the audience with her amazing voice and talent. Withdrawing from the celebrity scene for a few years, Aaliyah lived the life of a normal teenage girl, attending Detroit's Performing Arts High School where she majored in dance. It was around this same time that Aaliyah met singer/composer R. Kelly. Kelly assisted Aaliyah with the production of her debut album "Age Ain't Nothing but A number" which scored several number hits, specifically "Back and Forth." The album's title was a brief reference to her short-lived marriage to R. Kelly (she was 15 years of age at the time, and he was in his 20s). Thir marriage was annulled due to her status as a minor. During her senior year, Aaliyah went on to record "One In A Million" which featured the songwriting talents of major R&B producers/writers Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott and Tim Mosley. That album was a major success and sealed Aaliyah's fame forever. After seeing her at an awards show and in the video for her hit song "Are you that somebody?" (From the Eddie Murphy film Doctor Dolittle (1998)), film producer Joel Silver (producer of The Matrix (1999) and other major actor films) asked Aaliyah to audition for a role in an upcoming romance/action film called Romeo Must Die (2000). With her determination and sex appeal, Aaliyah won Silver over and was cast in her first major film role. Romeo Must Die (2000) was a hit at the box office. This film led to her being cast as one of the stars of the film based on Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned (2002) and in the two sequels to the major box office hit, The Matrix (1999). During the busy schedule of her film career, Aaliyah took time to record her third album, the self-titled "Aaliyah". July 2001 was a busy time for Aaliyah. After the sucess of her song "Try Again" for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award and won several MTV Video Awards, Aaliyah finally released her "Aaliyah" album. Debuting at number two on the Billboard charts, "Aaliyah" was a sales success despite many lack-lustre reviews it received. In August 2001, Aaliyah took time off from her busy album promotional tour to fly to the Bahamas to film a video for the song "Rock the Boat". The video, filmed on Abaco Island, was directed by Hype Williams, a major music video director known for his style and wit. On August 25, 2001, after filming the video, Aaliyah and about 9-11 of her entourage took off from Marsh Harbour airport at 6:50pm EDT in a small Cessna 404 en route to Opa-Locka, Florida. A few minutes after take-off, the plane crashed about 200 feet from the runaway killing Aaliyah and many others instantly. Four passnegers were pulled alive from the wreckage, and one later died at a hospital in Nassau. Aaliyah was only 22 years old. Aaliyah's short-lived, but brillant career was a true success story for a young African-American woman who went against all odds to be herself in an industry where originality is scarce. Truly missed by her family, friends, and fans, her music and film contributions will live forever.

On January 16th 1979 the world was blessed with the birth of Aaliyah Dana Haughton in Brooklyn, New York. Aaliyah was raised by her father, mother and brother Rashad Haughton in Detroit. At age 9 she appeared on "Star Search" (1983), the TV program and sang "My Funny Valentine", a song which her mother had sung years earlier. At age 11, she sang with Gladys Knight in a five-night stint in Las Vegas. In 1992, she began to work on her debut album with the help of singer R. Kelly. The album, "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number" was released in 1994 and received heavy praise. Aaliyah came under attack shortly after when reports suggested she was married to R. Kelly. At the time, she was 15, he was 27. The marriage was apparently annulled. In 1995, she began to work on her 2nd album, alongside Jermaine Dupri, Tim Mosley, Slick Rick and Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott'. The album, titled 'One In A Million' was released on August 27th 1996. In 1998 she released the single, 'Are you that somebody?' from the Doctor Dolittle (1998) soundtrack, it was produced by her friends Tim Mosley. Later that year she released the single 'Journey to the past', from the Anastasia (1997) soundtrack. In 2000, she made her film acting debut and starred as Trish O'Day in the smash hit, hip-hop, kung fu film, Romeo Must Die (2000) alongside Jet Li. The producer was so impressed by her performance she got parts in The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003). She made numerous records for the soundtrack and released 'Try Again', for which she was nominated with 'Best female video' and 'Best Video in a film' with MTV. In 2001 she was nominated with 2 awards for MTV, the 'Breakthrough female' and 'best performing female'. In July 2001 she released her third album, the self-titled, 'Aaliyah'. In early August of the same year she filmed the video for the single 'More Than a woman', taken off the album and on the 23rd August she started filming for 'Rock The Boat', on Abaco Island, in the Bahamas. On 25th August, filming was completed and her and eight of her crew members including her hair stylist and bodyguard boarded a small plane. Shortly after take off, the plane crashed and exploded, Aaliyah and all on board, perished. Aaliyah's funeral was held on Friday August 31st in New York, and 22 white doves were flown to celebrate each year of her life. Soon after her death, the hit singles 'More Than a woman' and 'Rock The Boat' were released from her third album. In 2002, the film Queen of the Damned (2002) by Anne Rice was released in which Aaliyah played the lead, Queen Akasha. She was nominated for best Villain at the MTV movie awards 2002. Looking back at her biography, it's no wonder her name means 'Highest, most exhalted one; the best', she had achieved so much in her short life of 22 years. Usually covered her left eye with her hair.





Auditioned for a role on the television sitcom "Family Matters" (1989).

Chosen as one of Teen People Magazine's "21 Hottest Stars Under 21." [1999]

Aaliyah is Arabic for "highest, most exalted one"

3 tattoos: her initial and a star on her hand, a music symbol on her ankle and a dove on her lower back.

Voted First Place by the readers of Black Men Magazine for "The 10 Sexiest Women of the Year." [2000]

Performed with Gladys Knight at age eleven in Las Vegas.

Aaliyah's self-titled long awaited third album is released. [July 17, 2001]

Got her dove tattoo as a tribute to her grandmother.

Graduated from the Detroit High School of the Performing Arts with a 4.0 GPA.

Got her big break on the television show "Star Search" (1983).

Died in a plane crash on a return trip from shooting a music video in the Bahamas. The crash, which happened in Marsh Harbour, located on Abaco Island in the Bahamas, was determined to have been caused by the plane being overloaded. [25 August 2001]

She got her middle name Dana from her grandmother.

At the time of her death, Aaliyah and her boyfriend, Roc-A-Fella co-CEO Damon Dash, had plans to wed.

Parents: Micheal and Diane Haughton. Brother: Rashad Haughton (born 6 August 1977).

At the age of 5, she moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she grew up.

At the time of her death, she was scheduled to reloop her dialogue in Queen of the Damned (2002) and to film the majority of her role for The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003).

Posthumous single "More Than A Woman" reaches #1 in the UK. [January 2002]

The first female artist to have a posthumous number one single in the UK record charts. [January 2002]

In January 2002 she reached No. 1 in the UK with her single "More Than A Woman". She was knocked off the top spot a week later by another deceased artist - George Harrison.

At her funeral, 22 white doves were released from the steps of the church. One dove for each year of her life.

Sister of Rashad Haughton

Auditioned for the Elton John Broadway show, Aida.

Her uncle, Barry Hankerson, was formerly married to singer Gladys Knight.

Her mother Diane was once a promising solo singer but gave it up to raise her children Aaliyah and Rashad Haughton.

She had a close friendship with producer/musical artist 'Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott' .

It was announced in November 2002 that good friend 'Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott' is to produce a tribute album to Aaliyah which will include stars finishing off songs Aaliyah was working on before her death in August 2001. In the same month, it was announced that a posthumous Aaliyah album will be released entitled 'I care 4 u'.

Was considered for the role of Alex in Charlie's Angels (2000), but casting directors deemed her too young and the part went to Lucy Liu.

Was considered for the part of Maggie in Get Over It (2001), but was already committed to Romeo Must Die (2000). Zoe Saldana was eventually cast in the role.

Was the first choice to play Valerie in Josie and the Pussycats (2001), but had already signed on for the lead role in Queen of the Damned (2002). Rosario Dawson eventually got the part.

Was almost the voice of Leah in Osmosis Jones (2001), but could not accept due to schedule conflicts. The part was eventually voiced by Brandy Norwood.

Her grandmother was Native American



In 2000, Aaliyah made her motion picture acting debut opposite Jet Li in Romeo Must Die, produced by Joel Silver for Warner Bros. Pictures. Aaliyah's standout performance won immediate acclaim and two MTV Movie Award nominations for Best Female Performance and Breakthrough Female Performance. The Romeo Must Die soundtrack, which Aaliyah executive produced and includes a collaboration with her co-star DMX, spent several weeks at No.1 on the Billboard soundtrack chart and yielded her hit single Try Again. The modish video for Try Again won the MTV Video Music Awards for Best Female Video and Best Video from a Film.

Aaliyah's previous contributions to film soundtracks include her song Are You That Somebody from Dr. Doolittle and the Academy Award nominated song Journey To The Past for the motion picture Anastasia. Aaliyah is also credited with songs from the soundtracks of the 1999 drama Music of the Heart and the 2000 comedy Next Friday.

In 1994, Aaliyah's first album, Age Ain't Nothing But A Number, became an instant success powered by the single, Back And Forth, which was a Top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and a No.1 R& B song. Aaliyah's follow up album, One In A Million, earned multi-platinum status and the first single, If Your Girl Only Knew, went double platinum. Aaliyah's eponymous third album, released in 2001, was similarly exalted by her fans and shot to No.1 on the Billboard albums chart.

With tremendous support from fans and critics alike, Aaliyah was awarded the 2001 American Music Awards for Favorite Female Artist: Soul and Rhythm & Blues and Favorite Album: Rhythm & Blues. Aaliyah's amazing voice and charisma have also garnered two Grammy nominations this year for Best Rhythm & Blues Album and Best Vocal Performance. Aailyah's incredible success in her recording career and as an actress has established her in the hearts and minds of her many admirers worldwide.

Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001), better known simply as her stage name Aaliyah, was an American R&B singer, dancer, fashion model and actress. Introduced to audiences by R&B singer R. Kelly, Aaliyah became famous in her own right during the mid-1990s with several hit records from the songwriting/production team of Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and Timbaland, and their associate Steve "Static" Garrett.

Notable for recording several hit records, including five number one R&B hits, one number one pop hit, and seven top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, Aaliyah sold over 24 million records worldwide during her career. The singer also modeled for Tommy Hilfiger and starred in two motion pictures before her death in a plane crash in 2001 at the age of 22.