Early Life: 1979- 1990Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16th, 1979 in Brooklyn, New York. She was born from an African American and Naive American descent, being the second and youngest child of
Diane and
Michael Haughton. Aaliyah would perfom at weddings, church choirs and charity events. At age 5 the family moved to Detriot, Michigan where she was raised along with her older brother Rashad. She attending Catholic school, Gesu Elementary where in 1st grade she played a part in stage play
Annie. From then on she was determined to become an entertainer. Aaliyah's mother was a vocalist and her uncle Barry Hankerson, was an entertainment lawyer who had been married to Gladys Knight. Aaliyah travelled with
Knight and work with an agent in New York to audition for commercials and telivision programs, including
family matters. She appeared on
Star Search at age 9. She then auditioned for several record labels and appeared in many concerts alongside Knight at age 11.
Age Aint Nothing but a number: 1991- 1995Hankerson signed Aaliya to his
Blackground Records label at age 12. Hankerson later introduced her to R Kelly, who became Aaliya's mentor and lead songwriter and producer of the album which was recorded when she was 14. Released in June 1992, the album peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 3 millions copies in the United States.
With the release of the album, rumors circulated of a relationship between Aaliyah and Kelly. Shortly after there was speculation about a secret marriage. Vibe magazine later revealed a marriage certificate that listed the couple married on August 31st, 1994 in Sheraton Gateway Suites in Rosemont Ilinois. Aaliyah, who was 15 at the time, was listed as 18 on the certificate; the illigal marriage was reportedly annulled in February 1995 by her parents. The pair continued to deny marriage allegations, stating that neither were married.
One In a Million: 1996- 1999
In 1996 Aaliyah left
Jive Records and signed to
Atlantic Records. She worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott, who contributed to her second studio album, One
in a Million. The new album peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200, selling over 3 million copies in the United States and over 8 million copies worldwide.
Aaliyah attended the Detriout High School for the Performing Arts, where she major in Daram and graduated in 1997 with a GPA of 4.0. She began her acting career that same year; she played herslef in
New York Undercover. During this time she also participated in a charity concert in New York. She contributed on the soundtrack album for the
Fox Animation Studios animated feature
Anastasia, performing a cover
version of
" Journey to the Past." Aaliyah performed the song at the 1998 Academy Awards ceremony and became the youngest singer to perform at the event.
Romeo Must Die and epodomynous album: 2000- 2001In 2000, Aaliyah landed her first major mvie role in
Romeo Must Die. It grossed $18.6 million in its first weekend, ranking number 2 at the bx office. Along with the acting, Aaliyah served as an executive producer of the film soundtrack where she contribituted four songs. The songs won may awards and the soundtrack went to sell 1.5 million copies in the United States.
After completing the movie, Romeo must Die, Aaliyah began to work on her second film,
Queen of the Damned. She was scheduled to film for the sequels of
The Matrix as the character Zee. She went to release her epodomynous album,
Aaliyah, in July 2001. Produced primarly by Timbaland, the album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 187, 000 copies in its first week.
Aaliyah mini-bio: Date of Death 25 August 2001, Marsh Harbour, Abaco Island, Bahamas. (airplane crash) Birth Name Aaliyah Dana Haughton Nickname Liyah BabyGirl Wonder Woman Lee Li Li Height 5' 7½" (1.71 m) Mini Biography Talented. Beautiful. Modest. These three words described R&B singer-turned-actress Aaliyah perfectly. Born in Brooklyn, New York but raised in Detroit, Aaliyah got her first major exposure appearing on the syndicated television series "Star Search" (1983) where she awed the audience with her amazing voice and talent. Withdrawing from the celebrity scene for a few years, Aaliyah lived the life of a normal teenage girl, attending Detroit's Performing Arts High School where she majored in dance. It was around this same time that Aaliyah met singer/composer R. Kelly. Kelly assisted Aaliyah with the production of her debut album "Age Ain't Nothing But A number" which scored several number hits, specifically "Back and Forth." The album's title was a brief reference to her short-lived marriage to R. Kelly (she was 15 years of age at the time, and he was in his 20s). Thir marriage was annulled due to her status as a minor. During her senior year, Aaliyah went on to record "One In A Million" which featured the songwriting talents of major R&B producers/writers Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott and Tim Mosley. That album was a major success and sealed Aaliyah's fame forever. After seeing her at an awards show and in the video for her hit song "Are You that Somebody?" (from the Eddie Murphy film Doctor Dolittle (1998)), film producer Joel Silver (producer of The Matrix (1999) and other major actor films) asked Aaliyah to audition for a role in an upcoming romance/action film called Romeo Must Die (2000). With her determination and sex appeal, Aaliyah won Silver over and was cast in her first major film role. Romeo Must Die (2000) was a hit at the box office. This film led to her being cast as one of the stars of the film based on Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned (2002) and in the two sequels to the major box office hit, The Matrix (1999). During the busy schedule of her film career, Aaliyah took time to record her third album, the self-titled "Aaliyah". July 2001 was a busy time for Aaliyah. After the sucess of her song "Try Again" for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award and won several MTV Video Awards, Aaliyah finally released her "Aaliyah" album. Debuting at number two on the Billboard charts, "Aaliyah" was a sales success despite many lack-lustre reviews it received. In August 2001, Aaliyah took time off from her busy album promotional tour to fly to the Bahamas to film a video for the song "Rock the Boat". The video, filmed on Abaco Island, was directed by Hype Williams, a major music video director known for his style and wit. On August 25, 2001, after filming the video, Aaliyah and about 9-11 of her entourage took off from Marsh Harbour airport at 6:50pm EDT in a small Cessna 404 en route to Opa-Locka, Florida. A few minutes after take-off, the plane crashed about 200 feet from the runaway killing Aaliyah and many others instantly. Four passnegers were pulled alive from the wreckage, and one later died at a hospital in Nassau. Aaliyah was only 22 years old. Aaliyah's short-lived, but brillant career was a true success story for a young African-American woman who went against all odds to be herself in an industry where originality is scarce. Truly missed by her family, friends, and fans, her music and film contributions will live forever.
