Born: 16 January 1979 Died: 25 August 2001
(airplane crash)
Birthplace: New York, New York Period: `90s, 2000s
Biography:
A star in the R&B 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 R&B 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 R&B 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 ...
