Aaliyah

Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001), better known simply as her stage name Aaliyah, was an American R&B singer, dancer, fashion model and actress. Introduced to audiences by R&B singer R. Kelly, Aaliyah became famous in her own right during the mid-1990s with several hit records from the songwriting/production team of Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and Timbaland, and their associate Steve "Static" Garrett.

Legacy

Aaliyah's death affected her family, friends, fans and the entertainment industry as a whole. At the time of her death, Aaliyah had been dating Roc-a-Fella Records CEO Damon Dash, who grieved publicly over her passing. Friends such as Missy Elliott and Timbaland praised Aaliyah as an inspirational and talented individual. "Rock the Boat" went on to become a posthumous hit on radio (reaching #2 on Billboards Hot R&B Singles charts) only behind Usher's "You got it bad" and #14 Billboards Hot 100 Pop Singles and video channels, and the news of Aaliyah's death gave her album a notable sales boost, pushing it to #1 on The Billboard 200. The album's two subsequent singles, "More than A Woman" reached #7 on Billboards Hot R&B singles chart and #25 on Hot 100 and "I Care 4 U," reached #3 on Billboards Hot R&B singles and #16 Hot 100, the latter attaining success even without the promotional push of a music video.

Related Topics:
Roc-a-Fella Records - Damon Dash - The Billboard 200 - Music video

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Queen of the Damned was released in early 2002. Before its release, Aaliyah's brother Rashad was called upon to re-dub several of his sister's lines during the post-production ADR process.

Related Topics:
2002 - ADR

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In 2002, a posthumous greatest hits collection, I Care 4 You, was released in Aaliyah's name. In addition to well-known hits, it also included six previously unreleased songs from the Blackground vaults Aaliyah had recorded over the course of her career, including "Miss You," which became the album's lead single. Its video features Missy Elliott, Lil Kim, Toni Braxton and DMX, among others, paying tribute to Aaliyah.

Related Topics:
I Care 4 You - Blackground - Missy Elliott - Lil Kim - Toni Braxton - DMX

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Aaliyah was to have had a supporting role as the wife of Harold Perrineau Jr.'s character in the two sequels to The Matrix; her role was ultimately filled by Nona Gaye. Other films in which Aaliyah was signed to star in were Honey (which instead was filmed with Jessica Alba as the star), and a Whitney Houston-produced remake of the 1976 film Sparkle. In addition, Aaliyah and one of her agents had pitched and inked a deal with Fox Searchlight Pictures for her to star in a film based upon a true story about interracial love.

Related Topics:
Harold Perrineau Jr. - The Matrix - Nona Gaye - Honey - Jessica Alba - Whitney Houston - 1976 - Sparkle - Fox Searchlight

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Aaliyah is interred in the Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum in Hartsdale, New York.

Related Topics:
Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum - Hartsdale, New York

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