Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, dancer, actress, and model. Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, she appeared on Star Search at age 10 and performed with Gladys Knight. At 12, she signed with Jive Records and Blackground Records. Her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, produced by R. Kelly, sold three million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the RIAA. After allegations of an illegal marriage with R. Kelly, she left Jive and signed with Atlantic Records.
Aaliyah collaborated with Timbaland and Missy Elliott on her second album, One in a Million, which sold three million copies in the United States and over eight million worldwide. In 2000, she starred in Romeo Must Die and contributed the single "Try Again," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 solely on airplay, earning her a Grammy nomination. She also filmed Queen of the Damned and released her third album, Aaliyah, in July 2001. On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others died in a plane crash in the Bahamas; the unlicensed pilot had cocaine and alcohol in his system. Her family settled a wrongful death lawsuit against Blackhawk International Airways. Aaliyah has sold an estimated 24 to 32 million albums worldwide and is credited with redefining contemporary R&B, pop, and hip hop. Billboard lists her as the tenth most successful female R&B artist of the past 25 years and 27th most successful R&B artist in history.
United States
