This obituary was originally published on Aug. 27, 2001. It is being republished for a package for Women’s History Month.
Aaliyah, a multimillion-selling, precociously sultry rhythm-and-blues singer and actress, died on Saturday in the crash of a small airplane, The Associated Press reported. She was returning from Abaco Island in the Bahamas, where she had been making a video clip, to Miami in a private plane, which crashed on takeoff. Eight other passengers were also killed. Aaliyah was 22 years old.
Aaliyah Haughton was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Detroit. She began singing as a child and performed in Las Vegas with Gladys Knight when she was 11.
Barry Hankerson, Aaliyah’s uncle, is Ms. Knight’s former husband and was the manager of R. Kelly, who specializes in amorous, slow-grind rhythm-and-blues.
Aaliyah was 14 when she made her first album, “Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number,” which was produced by Mr. Kelly and released in 1994. It sold a million copies and included two Top 10 singles, “Back and Forth” and “At Your Best (You Are Love).” Aaliyah toured the world through 1994 and 1995.
She also attended Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts, majoring in dance, and she released her second album, “One in a Million,” as she began her senior year in 1996. It was produced by Timbaland (Tim Mosely), whose syncopated, fractured rhythm tracks made him an influential figure in 1990’s pop. With guest appearances by Missy Elliott and Slick Rick, it presented Aaliyah, then 17, as a hip-hop temptress and included the hit single “If Your Girl Only Knew.” The album sold two million copies.
Aaliyah sang on soundtrack albums for “Anastasia,” “Next Friday,” “Music of the Heart,” “Sunset Park” and “Dr. Dolittle,” and had a No. 1 rhythm-and-blues hit in 1998 with the song “Are You That Somebody” from ‘’Dr. Dolittle.’‘
Aaliyah was featured in the movie “Romeo Must Die” in 2000 and was an executive producer for its soundtrack album, which included her hit single “Try Again.” She played the title role in the film of the Anne Rice novel “Queen of the Damned,” due for release next year, and had been set to appear in “The Matrix 2.” Her third album, “Aaliyah,” was released in July and reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
She is survived by her parents, Diane and Michael Haughton, and a brother, Rashaad.
To preserve archival articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them.
Jon Pareles, a culture correspondent for The Times, served as chief pop music critic for 37 years. He studied music, played in rock, jazz and classical groups and was a college-radio disc jockey. He was previously an editor at Rolling Stone and The Village Voice.
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