Aaliyah

Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born in Brooklyn, raised in Detroit, and destined for stardom. After performing on Star Search at age 11 (and appearing on stage with family friend Gladys Knight), the young singer was signed to Jive Records in 1991. Her multiplatinum debut, Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number, was written and produced by R. Kelly, whom Haughton married when she was 15. (Kelly was 27). The marriage was annulled. Her 1996 sophomore effort, One In A Million, teamed Haughton up with innovative Virginia songwriter/producers Missy Elliott and Timbaland, who created timeless hits with Aaliyah. Her performance in the film Romeo Must Die was rivaled only by her sexy, chart-topping, Grammy-nominated soundtrack single, “Try Again.” Spreading her acting wings, Aaliyah played an ancient vampire in Queen of the Damned, and was set to appear in Matrix Reloaded. But just a month after her self-titled third album hit stores, she was killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas after filming a video for her single, “Rock the Boat.”