Aaliyah.
Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001), known mononymously as Aaliyah, was an American singer, actress, dancer, & model. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop & hip hop, earning her the nicknames the “Princess of R&B” & “Queen of Urban Pop”. Born in Brooklyn but raised in Detroit, she first gained recognition at the age of 10, when she appeared on the television show Star Search & performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At the age of 12.
On August 25, 2001, at the age of 22, Aaliyah was killed in an airplane accident in the Bahamas along with eight other people on board, when the overloaded aircraft she was traveling in crashed shortly after takeoff. The pilot was later found to have traces of cocaine & alcohol in his body & was not qualified to fly the aircraft designated for the flight. Aaliyah’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the aircraft’s operator, which was settled out of court. In the decades following her death, Aaliyah’s music has continued to achieve commercial success, aided by several posthumous releases. She has sold 8.1 million albums in the US & an estimated 24 to 32 million albums worldwide.
Billboard lists her as the tenth most successful female R&B artist of the past 25 years, & the 27th most successful in history. Her accolades include three American Music Awards & two MTV VMAs, along with five Grammy Award nominations.
