Aaliyah Aaliyah

Rhythm and Blues singer and actress Aaliyah died along with seven others when a small plane that was to carry them back to the United States crashed after take-off in the Bahamas. The 22-year-old artist was among nine on board the twin-engine Cessna and had come to the Bahamas to shoot a music video. The Bahamas Minister of Tourism Tommy Turnquest, who happened to be visiting Abaco Island, where the plane went down said, "We find it devastating and most unfortunate that after having this world-famous star Aaliyah and her crew select the Bahamas as their choice location for her latest video, the project has climaxed on such a tragic note." Aaliyah, of Detroit, was to begin shooting the video for "Rock The Boat" this month in Miami, according to her Web site. It was not clear whether she filmed that video while in the Bahamas. The singer was born Aaliyah Haughton on January 16, 1979 in New York. She began performing at the age of 11 when she sang on stage with Gladys Knight's troupe in Las Vegas. Her first album, "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number," was released when she was 15 years old. She has collaborated with R&B singer R. Kelly, who produced her debut album and wrote many of the songs that appeared on it. By age 18, Aaliyah had two hit records to her name. Aaliyah's song "Try Again" earned her a Grammy nomination this year for best female R&B vocalist. She made her feature acting debut in the film "Romeo Must Die." She also had signed on to appear in two sequels to the high-tech thriller "The Matrix." "She was like one of my daughters, she was one of the sweetest girls in the world," said Grammy-winning producer, arranger and composer Quincy Jones. "She vacationed with me and my family together in Fiji. I loved her and respected her and I am absolutely devastated."