Aaliyah Dana Haughton died doing what she spent most of her life doing: Working. The 22-year-old singer and actress was killed in a plane crash on Saturday in the Bahamas. She was returning to the United States after shooting a video for “Rock the Boat” with acclaimed hip-hop director Hype Williams. The sensual, Caribbean track was already in heavy radio rotation and appeared to be the home-run single off third studio album, “Aaliyah,” which was released to both critical and commercial success. With that album already certified gold, the singer, who was still in school when she recorded her first two albums, was enjoying yet another possible dimension to her success as she awaited the release of the Anne Rice movie “Queen of the Damned” and anticipated work on two sequels to the cult hit “The Matrix.”
Aaliyah’s appeal transcended her capacity to hit the right notes in her songs or her ability to cry on cue. It reflected a style sense (she was a Hilfiger model in 1997) that made her look as beautiful in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt as in an Armani frock. Her charisma also lay in her willingness to help other artists and her genuine appreciation toward her loyal fans.
“Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number” introduced the New York-born Detroit-raised 15-year-old to the world in 1994, setting the stage for fellow teen platinum stars Britney Spears, Brandy and Monica. R. Kelly wrote and produced most of the albums; it didn’t hurt that he was managed at the time by Aaliyah’s uncle (and label CEO) Barry Hankerson. The albums first single, the midtempo “Back and Forth,” was propelled by Kelly signature G-funk beat and the teen’s stratospheric voice. The track shot to the top of the R&B chart and to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. Although her music style at that point could be labeled as pop, her image had an edge that gave her street cred. Aaliyah was hip-hop too. The late Notorious B.I.G. recognized this when he picked her to sing on the 1995 hit “I Need You Tonight.” She would also lend her vocal talents to such artists as DMX, Da Brat and Nas.
In 1996, Aaliyah released her second album, “One In A Million.” The first single, “If Your Girl Only Knew,” went double platinum. Jermaine Dupri, Rodney Jerkins and Missy Elliot were also involved with producing “One In A Million.” The album went multiplatinum and was an international hit. Rather than return to the studio for a follow up, Aaliyah opted for a different path. She landed a role in the movie “Romeo Must Die,” a long side jet Li and DMX. “Romeo” was a box office smash, and displayed a new side of Aaliyah, as her presence on the silver screen could not be ignored. Her Timbaland-produced hit “Try Again” propelled the movie sound track to double-platinum certification. The motivational number was nominated for Grammy and is nominated for R&B/sole song of the year at the seventh annual Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, which was taped in California last Tuesday night.
On July 17, she released “Aaliyah,” her first album in more than five years. It deputed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart. To date, it has sold more than 447,000. Aaliyah recorded the album while filming the title role in the film adaptation of the Anne Rice novel “Queen of the Damned,” which is due in early 2002. She was also cast in the two “Matrix” sequels, but had yet to begin filming them.
“I would come home from the set and say to my wife, ‘this girl is a freak — she never loses her temper, she never gets impatient, she’s a dream to direct,’” said “Queen of the Damned” director Michael Rymer.
“I’m a writer and I couldn’t contrive a more tragic scenario,” Rymer said of Aaliyah’s demise. “The only real consolation is that she died doing what she loved to do. She was not a frustrated person whose goals had eluded her. She was doing what she loved and had nothing to regret.”
