Aaliyah Remembering - Ten Years Since She's Gone

Aaliyah

It's been ten years since a very talented and beautiful young lady has left us.
Ten years have been gone since the R&B singer, actress, model and dancer Aaliyah died in plane crash.


A decade after Aaliyah Dana Haughton's death her family, friends and fans still remeber, honor and respect the great person she was.


The princess of R&B was just 22 years old at the time of her death.
In August 2001 she was in the Bahamas, shooting the video for her song "Rock the boat". On her way back to the USA Aaliyah has been killed in a plane crash.


Watch "Rock the boat" video:



Aaliyah Dana Haughton was a successful singer and actress with a thriving career. In 2001, she'd just released her third, self-titled album and was preparing for a role in "The Matrix" sequels when everything came to a screeching halt.


After shooting a music video in the Bahamas for her single "Rock the Boat" Aaliyah got on a plane and tragedy struck. According to RollingStone, "...she boarded a ten-seat twin-engine Cessna 402B bound for Opa-Locka, Florida, with the pilot, Luis Morales III, and seven members of her crew." Less than a minute after take off, the plane crashed (due to 700 pounds of excess weight) a few hundred feet from the runway and Aaliyah along with several others, died on impact. It was then that she joined the sad group of young stars gone too soon.


By 22, Aaliyah had achieved more success in her career than most singers twice her age. She made her music debut in 1994 at 15 as the protege of hitmaker R. Kelly. Her first album "Age Aint Nothin' but a Number" sold three million copies and solidified her presence as an urban artist. But it was her 1997 follow up that put her and her vocal stylings on the map.


Aaliyah teamed up with producers Missy Elliot and Timbaland to create her chart topping classic "One in a Million". The album sold over eight million copies worldwide and produced hits such as "If Your Girl Only Knew" and "Hot like Fire". She used her new fame to parlay into acting with a lead role in "Romeo Must Die" opposite martial artist Jet-Li. The film was a cult success and featured a hit soundtrack led by the single "Try Again" which Aaliyah performed.


"Queen of the Damned", Aaliyah's final film was released February 22, 2002 - six months after her death. It marked the official end of her blossoming career. Unlike most twenty-somethings that populate the industry today, Aaliyah didn't depend on sex to sell. She had hypnotic beats, catchy lyrics and great dance moves that engaged audiences.


Parrish Johnson, an executive at her former record label Blackground, revealed, "She's the first artist I worked with who would not compromise her values to be famous. In this business, church girls become prostitutes because they want to be stars, but she would never let stardom interfere with who she was."


A month before her untimely death, Aaliyah granted MTV's show "Diary" behind-the-scenes access to her fast-paced life and said, "I am truly blessed to wake up every morning to do something that I love; there is nothing better than that."


She continued, "Everything is worth it -- the hard work, the times when you're tired, the times when you are a bit sad. In the end, it's all worth it because it really makes me happy. I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. I've got good friends, a beautiful family and I've got a career. I thank God for his blessings every single chance I get."


So, on August 25, blast Aaliyah's timeless music loud and remember her for being a trendsetting force in fashion and for helping to redefine and take R&B music to another level.


Watch a tribute video: