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Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16,
1979 – August 25, 2001), who performed under the mononym Aaliyah
(pronounced /əˈliːə/), was an American recording artist, actress and
model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit,
Michigan. At an early age, she appeared on the television show Star Search
and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At age 12, Aaliyah was
signed to Jive Records and Blackground Records by her uncle, Barry
Hankerson. He introduced her to R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well
as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing But
a Number. The album sold two million copies in the United States and was
certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA). After facing allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly,
Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed to Atlantic Records.
Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her
second album, One in a Million; it sold two million copies in the United
States and over eight million copies worldwide. In 2000, Aaliyah appeared
in her first major film, Romeo Must Die. She contributed to the film's
soundtrack, which spawned the single "Try Again". The song topped the
Billboard Hot 100 solely on airplay, making Aaliyah the first artist in
Billboard history to achieve this feat. "Try Again" earned Aaliyah a
Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocalist.
After filming Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah filmed her part in Queen of the
Damned. She released her third and final album, Aaliyah, in 2001. On
August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were killed in an airplane crash
in The Bahamas after filming the music video for the single "Rock the
Boat". The pilot, Luis Morales III, was unlicensed at the time of the
accident and had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system. Aaliyah's
family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Blackhawk
International Airways, which was settled out of court. Since then, Aaliyah
has achieved commercial success with several posthumous releases. Selling
over 24 million records worldwide, she has been credited for helping
redefine R&B and hip hop and has been named the "Princess of R&B".
Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York
City, New York. Born of African American and Native American descent, she
was the second and youngest child of Diane and Michael Haughton. Enrolled
at a young age for voice lessons by her mother, Aaliyah would perform at
weddings, church choir and charity events. When she was five years old,
her family moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she was raised along with her
older brother, Rashad. She attended a Catholic school, Gesu Elementary,
where she received a part in the stage play Annie in first grade. From
then on, she was determined to become an entertainer. Aaliyah's mother was
a vocalist, and her uncle, Barry Hankerson, was an entertainment lawyer
who had been married to Gladys Knight. As a child, Aaliyah traveled with
Knight and worked with an agent in New York to audition for commercials
and television programs, including Family Matters; she went on to appear
on Star Search at the age of nine. She then auditioned for several record
labels and appeared in concerts alongside Knight at age 11.
After Hankerson signed a distribution deal with Jive Records, he signed
Aaliyah to his Blackground Records label at the age of 12. Hankerson later
introduced her to recording artist and producer R. Kelly, who became
Aaliyah's mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of the album,
which was recorded when she was 14. Released in June 1994, the album
peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200 and sold over two million copies
in the United States. Aaliyah's debut single, "Back & Forth", topped the
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for three weeks and was certified
Gold by the RIAA. The second single, a cover of The Isley Brothers' "At
Your Best (You Are Love)", peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100
and was also certified Gold by the RIAA. The title track, "Age Ain't
Nothing But a Number", peaked at number 75 on the Hot 100. Additionally,
she released "The Thing I Like" as part of the soundtrack to the 1994 film
A Low Down Dirty Shame.
With the release of Age Ain't Nothing But a Number, rumors circulated of a
relationship between Aaliyah and Kelly. Shortly after, there was
speculation about a secret marriage with the release of "Age Ain't Nothing
But a Number" and the adult content that Kelly had written for Aaliyah.
Vibe magazine later revealed a marriage certificate that listed the couple
allegedly married on August 31, 1994, in Sheraton Gateway Suites in
Rosemont, Illinois. Aaliyah, who was 15 at the time, was listed as 18 on
the certificate; the illegal marriage was reportedly annulled in February
1995 by her parents. The pair continued to deny marriage allegations,
stating that neither was married.
In 1996, Aaliyah left Jive Records and signed to Atlantic Records. She
worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott, who contributed
to her second studio album, One in a Million. The album yielded the single
"If Your Girl Only Knew", which topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
for two weeks. It also generated the singles "Hot like Fire" and "4 Page
Letter". The following year, Aaliyah was featured on Timbaland & Magoo's
debut single, "Up Jumps da Boogie". One in a Million peaked at number 18
on the Billboard 200, selling over two million copies in the United States
and over eight million copies worldwide.
Aaliyah attended the Detroit High School for the Performing Arts, where
she majored in drama and graduated in 1997 with a 4.0 grade point average.
Aaliyah began her acting career that same year; she played herself in the
police drama television series New York Undercover. During this time,
Aaliyah participated the Children's Benefit Concert, a charity concert
that took place at the Beacon Theatre in New York. She contributed on the
soundtrack album for the Fox Animation Studios animated feature Anastasia,
performing a cover version of "Journey to the Past" which earned
songwriters Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty a nomination for the Academy
Award for Best Original Song. Aaliyah performed the song at the 1998
Academy Awards ceremony and became the youngest singer to perform at the
event.
In 2000, Aaliyah landed her first major movie role in Romeo Must Die. A
loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Aaliyah
starred opposite martial artist Jet Li, playing a couple who fall in love
amid their warring families. It grossed $18.6 million in its first
weekend, ranking number two at the box office. In addition to acting,
Aaliyah served as an executive producer of the film soundtrack, where she
contributed four songs. "Try Again" was released as a single from the
soundtrack; the song topped the Billboard Hot 100, making Aaliyah the
first artist to top the chart based solely on airplay; this led the song
to be released in a 12" vinyl and 7" single. The music video won the Best
Female Video and Best Video from a Film awards at the 2000 MTV Video Music
Awards. It also earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B
Vocalist. The soundtrack went on to sell 1.5 million copies in the United
States.
After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah began to work on her second film,
Queen of the Damned. She played the role of an ancient vampire, Queen
Akasha, which she described as a "manipulative, crazy, sexual being". She
was scheduled to film for the sequels of The Matrix as the character Zee.
Aaliyah went on to release her eponymous album, Aaliyah, in July 2001.
Produced primarily by Timbaland, the album debuted at number two on the
Billboard 200, selling 187,000 copies in its first week. The first single
from the album, "We Need a Resolution", peaked at number 59 on the
Billboard Hot 100.
On August 25, 2001, at 6:45 pm (EST), Aaliyah and various members of the
record company boarded a twin engine Cessna 402B (N8097W) at Marsh
Harbour, Abaco Islands, The Bahamas, to travel to an airport in Opa-locka,
Florida, after they completed filming the music video for "Rock the Boat".
They had a flight scheduled the following day, but with filming finishing
early, Aaliyah and her entourage were eager to return to the United
States. They made the decision to leave immediately. Against the advice of
baggage handlers and the pilot, all the equipment from the shoot was
loaded on the plane. Therefore, the aircraft exceeded the standard weight
and balance tolerance limit provided by Cessna. The plane crashed shortly
after takeoff, about 200 feet (60 m) from the runway. Aaliyah, pilot Luis
Morales III, hair stylist Eric Forman, Anthony Dodd, security guard Scott
Gallin, video producer Douglas Kratz, stylist Christopher Maldonado, and
Blackground Records employees Keith Wallace and Gina Smith were killed.
According to findings from an inquest, conducted by the coroner's office
in The Bahamas, Aaliyah suffered from "severe burns and a blow to the
head", in addition to severe shock. The coroner theorized that, even if
Aaliyah had survived the crash, her recovery would have been virtually
impossible given the severity of her injuries. The National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB) report stated that "the airplane was seen lifting off
the runway, and then nose down, impacting in a marsh on the south side of
the departure end of runway 27." It also indicated that the pilot was not
approved to pilot the plane he was attempting to fly. Morales falsely
obtained his Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) license by showing
hundreds of hours never flown, and he may also have falsified how many
hours he had flown in order to get a job with his employer, Blackhawk
International Airways. Additionally, an autopsy performed on Morales
revealed traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system. Further
investigations determined the plane was over its total gross weight by 700
pounds and was loaded with one more passenger than it was allowed to
carry. John Frank of the Cessna Pilots Association stated that the plane
was "definitely overloaded". The NTSB reported that the total gross weight
of the plane was "substantially exceeded", which caused the center of
gravity to be pushed too far aft.
Aaliyah's funeral was held on August 31, 2001, at the Saint Ignatius
Loyola Church in New York. Her body was set in a silver casket, which was
carried in a glass hearse and was drawn by horse. An estimated 800
mourners were in attendance of the procession. Among those in attendance
to the private ceremony were Timbaland, Lil' Kim and Sean Combs. After
service, 22 white doves were released to symbolize each year of Aaliyah's
life. She was buried at the Ferncliff Cemetery.
The day of the crash was Morales' first official day with Blackhawk
International Airways, an FAA Part 135 single-pilot operation. In
addition, Morales was not registered with the FAA to fly for Blackhawk. As
a result of the accident, a wrongful death lawsuit was filed by Aaliyah's
parents and was later settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
Barry & Sons, Inc., a corporation formed in 1992 to develop, promote and
capitalize Aaliyah and to oversee the production and distribution of her
records and music videos, brought an unsuccessful lawsuit in the New York
Supreme Court against Instinct Productions LLC, the company that was hired
in August 2001 to produce the music video for "Rock the Boat". The case
was dismissed due to New York's wrongful death statute only permitting
certain people to recover damages for wrongful death
The week after Aaliyah's death, her third studio album, Aaliyah, rose from
number 19 to number one on the Billboard 200. "Rock the Boat" was released
as a posthumous single. The music video was premiered on Black
Entertainment Television's Access Granted; it became the most viewed and
highest rated episode in the history of the show. The song peaked at
number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Billboard Hot
R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It was also included on the Now That's What I
Call Music! 8 compilation series; a portion of the album's profits were
donated to the Aaliyah Memorial Fund. The following two singles from
Aaliyah, "More than a Woman" and "I Care 4 U", peaked within the top 25 of
the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified double Platinum by the RIAA
and sold 2.5 million copies in the United States.
She went on to win two posthumous awards at the American Music Awards of
2002; Favorite Female R&B Artist and Favorite R&B/Soul Album for Aaliyah.
Her second and final film, Queen of the Damned, was released in February
2002. Before its release, Aaliyah's brother, Rashad, re-dubbed part of her
lines during post-production. It grossed $15.2 million in its first
weekend, ranking number one at the box office. In December 2002, a
collection of previously unreleased material was released as Aaliyah's
first posthumous album, I Care 4 U. A portion of proceeds was donated to
the Aaliyah Memorial Fund, a program that benefits the Revlon UCLA Women
Cancer Research Program and Harlem's Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. It
debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 280,000 copies in
its first week. The album's lead single, "Miss You", peaked at number
three on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
In August of the following year, clothing retailer Christian Dior donated
profits from sales in honor of Aaliyah.
Aaliyah was signed to appear in several future films, including Honey
(recast to Jessica Alba). Some Kind of Blue and a Whitney Houston-produced
remake of the 1976 film Sparkle were canceled due to Aaliyah's death.
Before her death, Aaliyah had filmed part of her role in The Matrix
Reloaded and was scheduled to appear in The Matrix Revolutions as Zee. The
role was later recast to Nona Gaye. Aaliyah's scenes were later included
in the tribute section of the Matrix Ultimate Collection series.
In 2005, Aaliyah's second compilation album, Ultimate Aaliyah was released
in the UK by Blackground Records. Ultimate Aaliyah is a three disc set,
which included a greatest hits audio CD and a DVD. Andy Kellman of
Allmusic remarked "Ultimate Aaliyah adequately represents the shortened
career of a tremendous talent who benefited from some of the best
songwriting and production work by Timbaland, Missy Elliott, and R.
Kelly."
Aaliyah had a vocal range of a soprano. With the release of her debut
single "Back & Forth", Dimitri Ehrlich of Entertainment Weekly expressed
that Aaliyah's "silky vocals are more agile than those of self-proclaimed
queen of hip-hop soul Mary J. Blige." Aaliyah described her sound as
"street but sweet", which featured her "gentle" vocals over a "hard" beat.
Though Aaliyah did not write any of her own material, her lyrics were
described as in-depth. She incorporated R&B, pop and hip hop into her
music. Her songs were often uptempo and melancholy, revolving around
"matters of the heart". Her songs have been said to have "crisp
production" and "staccato arrangements" that "extend genre boundaries"
while containing "old-school" soul music. When experimenting with other
genres, such as Latin pop and heavy metal, writers panned the attempt. As
her albums progressed, writers felt that Aaliyah matured, calling her
progress a "declaration of strength and independence". Stephen Thomas
Erlewine of Allmusic described her eponymous album, Aaliyah, as "a
statement of maturity and a stunning artistic leap forward" and called it
one of the strongest urban soul records of its time. She portrayed
"unfamiliar sounds, styles and emotions", but managed to please critics
with the contemporary sound it contained. Ernest Hardy of Rolling Stone
felt that Aaliyah reflected a stronger technique, where she gave her best
vocal performance. Others felt that she was "satisfying rather than
extraordinary", stating that she added little to modern R&B.
As an artist, Aaliyah often voiced that she was inspired by a number of
performers. These include Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Sade, En Vogue,
Nine Inch Nails, 'N Sync, Korn, Britney Spears, The Notorious B.I.G.,
Prince, Naughty by Nature, Johnny Mathis and Janet Jackson. Aaliyah
expressed that Michael Jackson's Thriller was her "favorite album" and
that "nothing will ever top Thriller." She stated that she admired Sade
because "she stays true to her style no matter what... she's an amazing
artist, an amazing performer... and I absolutely love her." Aaliyah
expressed she had always desired to work with Janet Jackson—whom she had
drawn frequent comparison to over the course of her career, stating "I
admire her a great deal. She's a total performer... I'd love to do a duet
with Janet Jackson." Jackson reciprocated Aaliyah's affections, commenting
"I've loved her from the beginning because she always comes out and does
something different, musically." Jackson also stated she would have
enjoyed collaborating with Aaliyah.
Aaliyah focused on her public image throughout her career. She often wore
baggy clothes and sunglasses, stating that she wanted to be herself. She
described her image as being "important… to differentiate yourself from
the rest of the pack". She often wore black clothing, starting a trend for
similar fashion among women in United States and Japan. Aaliyah
participated in fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger's All America Tour and was
featured in Tommy Jean ads, which depicted her in boxer shorts, baggy
jeans and a tube top. Hilfiger's brother, Andy, called it "a whole new
look" that was "classy but sexy". When she changed her hairstyle, Aaliyah
took her mother's advice to cover her left eye, much like Veronica Lake.
In 1998, she hired a personal trainer to keep in shape, and exercised five
days a week and ate diet foods. Aaliyah was praised for her "clean-cut
image" and "moral values". |
