Today in history: American singer, actress Aaliyah
At the age of 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records.
American singer, actress, and model Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on 16 January 1979 in Brooklyn, New York, United States.
She first gained recognition at the age of 10, when she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight.
At the age of 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson’s Blackground Records.
Hankerson introduced her to R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number.
Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One in a Million, which sold 3 million copies in the United States and more than 8 million copies worldwide.
After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah filmed her role in Queen of the Damned, and released her self-titled third and final studio album in 2001.
On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas after filming the music video for the single “Rock the Boat”.
The pilot, Luis Morales III, was unlicensed at the time of the accident and toxicology tests revealed that he had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system.
Aaliyah’s family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Blackhawk International Airways, which was settled out of court.
Information sourced from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
