On August 25, 2001, 20 years ago, the ‘Princess of R’n’B’ Aaliyah tragically passed away. The singer and actress was only 22 years old, and her death is still not mourned.
Aaliyah started playing music as a little girl when she sang in the church choir. Her uncle Barry Hankerson (74) is the ex-husband of soul singer Gladys Knight (77) at whose concert Aaliyah performed at the age of 11. A year later, she signed a contract with Jive Records.
It was then that she met rapper-producer R. Kelly, 54, who also wrote lyrics for her debut album ‘Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number’. Aaliyah recorded the album at the age of 14, and it was released in 1994, and more than three million copies were sold in the United States alone.
Unfortunately, Kelly’s relationship with the underage star was not strictly professional or appropriate. As Metro reports, in the song ‘She’s Got That Vibe’, Kelly reportedly sang about Aaliyah. He used inappropriate expressions and alluded to sex, even though he was 24 at the time and the singer was only 12 years old.
In late August 1994, when Aaliyah was 15, Kelly illegally married her at a hotel. He was accused of falsifying documents with the help of bribes, on the basis of which he claimed that she was older than she really was, CNN reports. Kelly then denied any connection and said he did not know exactly how old Aaliyah was. Six months later their illegal marriage was annulled.
The rapper is currently on trial and is charged with sexually abusing six women and girls, including Aaliyah. During the first day of the trial, the federal prosecutor called him a 'predator' who recruited minors for sex.
The singer left Jive Records in 1996 and released her second album ‘One in a Million', which repeated the success of her debut work. In the same year, Aaliyah started acting. In addition to the animated film ‘Anastasia’, she sang the song ‘Journey to the Past’, which was nominated for a Golden Statuette. When she performed at the Oscars, she became the youngest musician to do so.
In 1999, she starred in her first film, ‘Romeo Must Die’. After filming, she continued acting in the film 'Queen of the Damned'. In addition, she recorded her third album 'Aaliyah', which was released in July 2001, and sold 187,000 copies in its first week.
She was supposed to star in several other films, including the sequels to 'The Matrix', but unfortunately, she tragically passed away on August 25, 2001. After filming the video for the single 'Rock the Boat', Aaliyah and seven members of her team took a plane from the Bahamas. Despite the warnings, they loaded all the shooting equipment that weighed more than the plane could handle. Shortly after takeoff, from a height of approximately 60 meters, the plane crashed.
The accident killed all passengers and pilot Luis Morales III, for whom the autopsy determined that he had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his body. Subsequent investigations showed that the plane was carrying one passenger more than allowed and that Morales obtained a flight permit on fraud stating that he was carrying hundreds of watches, which was not true.
Aaliyah was buried in her hometown of New York a week later. Her silver coffin was transported by a glass carriage, and the singer and actress was cremated, after which 22 white pigeons were released into the air.
In the two decades since her death, Aaliyah's music has continued to be commercially successful, especially due to the posthumous releases of her songs and music videos. It is estimated that her music has sold between 24 and 32 million copies of the album, which can now be listened to on streaming platforms as well. Billboard named her the tenth most successful R'n'B singer in the last 25 years and ranked her 27th most successful in history.
By: Olivia J. - Gossip Whispers
