Tuesday marked the 8th anniversary of the death of R&B Aaliyah. She died on August 25, 2001 in a plane crash in the Bahamas after filming a video for "Rock the Boat". I remember that day very clearly as if it were yesterday, & I was sad when I heard the news because she was one of my favorite singers.When she died, she was just beginning to gain the overall success that Beyonce' has right now. She had two previous double-platinum albums (Age Ain't Nothing But A Number
in 1994 and One In A Million in 1996), a starring role in a hit movie (Romeo Must Die in 2000), and other projects that she was working on. Her career was on the way up at the time of her death, & I keep thinking about what could have been if she were still alive today. Beyonce' had great success on her 1st solo record, but her popularity carried over from Destiny's Child. Aaliyah started out on her own and she was younger.
She had also won several awards and been nominated for others, including 2 Grammy nominations and more after her death. She won 2 MTV VMA's 2 NAACP Image Awards, 3 American Music Awards, and 4 World Music Awards, including Entertainer of the Year in 1998.
Aaliyah was 14 when she released Age Ain't Nothing But A Number in 1994, and she had released 3 platinum albums when she died at age 22. The potential of what her career could have been is incredible, because she was on the way up.
Her unique style and vocal delivery made her influential in 90's R&B. On top of that, her style in every stage of her career was trend-setting. I remember that I used to want to wear baggy pants and sunglasses to be like her when I was little.
My favorite thing about Aaliyah Dana Haughton was the fact that she carried herself well. She did not succumb to the industry's standard of beauty or what an R&B singer should look or sound like. She was always confortable with herself, but was still able to change it up in order to appeal to a larger audience.
R.I.P. Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979-August 25, 2001)
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