Aaliyah 10th Anniversary: Remembering Her Legacy (VIDEOS)
Today marks the ten-year anniversary of the death of R&B singer and budding actress Aaliyah Dana Haughton. The 22-year-old was killed when the twin-engine plane she was aboard crashed shortly after takeoff.
Aaliyah had just finished shooting her 2001 music video “Rock The Boat” in the Bahamas and was heading back to the U.S. The singer and eight other passengers, including the pilot were killed instantly when the plane exploded on contact.
The R&B singer’s tragic death cut short a promising career, but Aaliyah left a legacy that has been kept alive. Aaliyah released three albums in her lifetime, the last – “Aaliyah,” hit shelves a few weeks before her death on August 25, 2001. The self-titled album featured more mid-tempo, introspective numbers and moved away from club beats. The album featured songs that Aaliyah recorded with producer and frequent collaborator Timbaland. She has also collaborated with Missy Elliott.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The 22-year-old went platinum with her R. Kelly-produced 1994 debut, “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number" and her 1996 release “One in a Million” went double platinum. These two along with her last release, “Aaliyah” has earned the singer several billboard top hits.
At the time of her death, Aaliyah’s acting career was on the rise. She had just finished filming Anne Rice’s “Queen of the Damned” and was cast in the “The Matrix 2,” released in 2002 and 2003 respectively.
Ten years to date, friends and fans remember Aaliyah for her all that she was to the music world and more.
Close friend and collaborator Missy Elliott wrote on Twitter, “Aaliyah til this very day u r [sic] still in your own lane! Ure [sic] music is timeless! We miss u! #WeLoveuAaliyah!”
“I think why [her death] affected me so much without me knowing her because she seemed to have a beautiful soul. It was something about her that made you connect to her,” said Keyshia Cole wrote TaleTela.
Timbaland, also a close friend to Aaliyah, tweeted, “#ripaaliyah miss you babygirl [sic].”
Aaliyah left her mark on the Billboard charts from the birth of her career. “Back and Forth,” the first single off her first album “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number,” jumped to No. 1 on the R&B charts within 2 months of its debut. However, it wasn’t until her collaborations with close friends Missy Elliott and Timbaland that Aaliyah’s chart domination spread across the board.
Here is a look at her top five Billboard Hits:
5. “Rock the Boat”
4. “Miss You”
3. “Back and Forth”
2. “Are You That Somebody?”
1. “One in a Million”
