52 Aaliyah Facts To Read & Understand About This Celebrity!

Aaliyah, originally named Aaliyah Dana Haughton, was the 'Princess of R&B' and the 'Queen of Urban Pop'.

Aaliyah is known for starting the new phase of pop and hip-hop music. She was a well-known American dancer, singer, and model.

Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn on January 16, 1979. She was recognized at the young age of 10, but unfortunately, she passed away on August 25, 2001, in a plane crash.

She started her career with the TV show 'Star Search'. Later, Aaliyah performed at a Gladys Knight concert.

When she was 12 years old, Aaliyah signed a contract with Jive Records and Barry Hankerson, her uncle's Blackground Records. It was Barry Hankerson who introduced Aaliyah to R Kelly, who later became Aaliyah's mentor.

Her debut album, 'Age Ain't Nothing But a Number', was led by R Kelly as a songwriter and producer. Around three million copies were sold in America, making it recognized and validated platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Aaliyah eventually broke off with Jive Records and Blackground Records. 'One in a Million', her second album with Timbaland and Missy Elliott, made her even more popular, with sales reaching $8 million dollars throughout the world.

'Romeo Must Die', her first film in 2000, was also a hit. 'Try Again' was another song by her that became the film's soundtrack. Aaliyah was the first female artist to make history by being at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

Aaliyah sang the Latin song 'Ave Maria', surprising people with her ability to sing the song completely in Latin. The name of her second film was 'Queen of the Damned', and her third album topped the Billboard 200 before her demise a month later.

The sudden demise of Aaliyah at the age of 22 in a plane crash in the Bahamas was something that was not expected by people and her family members. Aaliyah suffered from a weak heart, shock, as well as burns and a terrible hit to the head due to the crash.

According to reports, it is known that the pilot had traces of drugs, cocaine, and alcohol found in his system, and he was not certified to fly.

All nine people on board passed away. The aircraft was also overloaded.

After Aaliyah passed away, her mother, Diane Haughton, her brother, Rashad Haughton, and her father, Michael Haughton, filed a lawsuit against Blackhawk International Airways. Aaliyah's boyfriend, Damon Dash, even gave statements that they were about to marry each other soon.

Approximately 24-25 albums of hers were sold after her demise. The awards received by her are two MTV VMAs, five Grammy Award nominations, and three American Music Awards.

She has been listed as the 10th most prosperous female in R&B for the last 25 years and the 27th most successful in history. Aaliyah's life was full of turmoil, along with Aaliyah's death, but her success cannot be negated at the same time.

If you enjoy reading this article about Aaliyah's life, then do read some other interesting and surprising fun facts about Marco Polo and why Marco Polo was famous.

Who was Aaliyah?

Aaliyah and Lisa Lopez were the two best-known female artists of the mid-90s. Lisa Lopez, also known as Left Eye, was well known for her left-eye attraction by her fan following.

Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn but raised and educated in Detroit, where she graduated from Detroit High School. The left eye concept or idea was advised by Aaliyah's mother, Diana Haughton. In most of her looks, Aaliyah could be seen covering her left eye.

Aaliyah was African American and attended Catholic school. Aaliyah's mother was a vocalist. Her uncle married Gladys Knight, an American singer and businesswoman.

At the age of 10, Aaliyah traveled with Gladys Knight for work, and at the age of 10, she was able to make it to a TV show. Aaliyah was so determined that she competed with Britney Spears, Toni Braxton, and Christina Aguilera for the best female video.

Aaliyah had four tattoos on her body. One of her tattoos was on the middle of her wrist. It was an ankh, showing her devotion to Egypt.

The second tattoo was on her right ankle. It was a quarter note, which is considered a technical note of music.

The third tattoo was on her lower back. It was a dove, denoting her love for her grandmother.

Finally, the fourth tattoo was on her left wrist. It was the letter 'A' on the side of her wrist. Among all the tattoos, her third tattoo of a dove had made her suffer the most pain, but regardless of the pain, she had to get it done because she loved her grandmother.

Aaliyah went to the Detroit School of Arts High School. She had her major in drama and passed in 1997 with a 4.0 GPA.

She took classes in voice lessons from her mother. Aaliyah was known for her cool nature and never showed anger. Due to her calm temperament, many adored her inner and outer beauty.

Aaliyah was just 22 years old when she died. It was too early for the young star to face such a tragic death. Her music video premiered for 'Rock the Boat'.

Her second studio album with Atlantis Records, 'One in a Million', and was also a super hit. In 1994, Aaliyah stumbled into controversy with R Kelly when different media resources claimed they were married, and R Kelly fell into an illegal marriage crisis.

After the controversies, R Kelly never wanted to discuss Aaliyah with respect to her family. 'Romeo Must Die' was her first movie, while her second movie was called 'Queen of the Damned'.

What movies was Aaliyah in?

In 2000, Aaliyah was selected for the role of Alex for the movie 'Charlie's Angels' but was later replaced by Lucy Liu. The director and producer later thought that Aaliyah was too young for the role.

Aaliyah was often associated with R Kelly, Timbaland, Missy Elliott, and Stephen Ellis Garret. Her performing arts were well recognized, along with her calm temperament.

Her first movie, 'Romeo Must Die', was a big success. The budget of the movie 'Romeo Must Die' was $25 million, and the movie earned $91 million. Aaliyah was just 11 years old when she spent five nights in Las Vegas, where she was accompanied by Gladys Knight.

Aaliyah was 5.6 ft (1.7 m) tall and had black hair. The movie 'Honey', starring Jessica Alba, released in 2003, was also a part of her project in which she was assigned the lead role, but she died before that.

Aaliyah earned $1.5 million from her first movie and $5 million from her second movie. She was also called Left Eye, similar to the nickname of Lisa Lopez. It was her mother's idea, and it also suited her personality.

Aaliyah was guarded by her guards during her studies, even during her classes. From different resources, it is evident that she kept her music album, 'Rock the Boat', under wraps for at least two years.

She advertised for the brand Tommy Hilfiger in 1996. Aaliyah is known to have been a big fan of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. She signed her second album with Missy Elliott and Timbaland.

Inspirational Facts About Aaliyah

Aaliyah was a very down-to-earth personality and was well known for her calm nature. From many of her colleagues, it was known that they never saw her in anger.

While other children were studying and enjoying their teenage years, Aaliyah was determined to become a star. She made her first public appearance on a TV show at the age of 10, which is presumed to have been the biggest achievement for kids during the 90s. Her aunt, Gladys Knight, played a significant role in her successful life.

The young girl had great vocals, but family support encouraged her to do her best and become a star. In 1994, when Aaliyah was just 15 years old, she had to face the hardships of her life while facing the criticism of the media.

She bore the criticism and moved on with strength to pursue her dreams. It was her inner strength and resilience that was really inspirational about Aaliyah. She was tomboyish by nature. These characteristics influenced the brand Tommy Hilfiger, and they asked her to be part of a campaign for their brand.

Aaliyah was the youngest singer to sing at the Oscars in 1998. She was not only an actress, model, and singer, but she was also a budding businesswoman.

She did what she wanted and found contentment in her own music. Aaliyah had a love for pets and owned a snake and other animals, such as ducks and iguanas, during her childhood.

Aaliyah's Personal Life

If Aaliyah Dana Haughton were alive today, she would be 42 years old. Aaliyah was no doubt extremely talented. She was called 'baby girl' by some people. Her fame ushered in a new era of pop and hip-hop music. She was a pop and hip-hop soul.

Aaliyah did not have any children. R Kelly signed Aaliyah for her debut album 'Age Ain't Nothing but a Number' with him being producer.

This brought them closer to each other. However, later, the two split, and according to one of her interviews with Christopher John Farley, Aaliyah began a new journey and never wanted to work again with him again.

It was due to these rumors that Aaliyah broke off from Jive Records and later signed a contract with Atlantic Records. It is unclear whether R Kelly attended the funeral of Aaliyah because of the past rumors.

Aaliyah died at a very young age, and according to her close family and friends, she had beautiful plans for her family in the years ahead. The untimely death of Aaliyah in the plane crash meant that it was all in vain.

In 2000, Aaliyah met Damon Dash, and they were in a relationship until her death in a plane crash in the Bahamas. He was 29 and had met Aaliyah through one of her accountants.

They were happy together. The relationship between Aaliyah and Damon Dash was not public, but after her demise, Damon stated to the media that they were both so serious about each other that they had plans to marry each other.

Damon Dash dated the 'baby girl' when she died. Aaliyah attended her final interview was on August 21, 2001, with BET's '106 & Park'. Aaliyah, well known for her performing arts, died on August 25, 2001, at the age of 22.

At her funeral, 22 doves were released to pay tribute to her. She had $8 million at the time she died.

'Try Again' was the blockbuster that made her internationally famous. The album 'Ultimate Aaliyah' was released posthumously in the year 2005 by Blackground Records. 'Aaliyah Live in Amsterdam' is a documentary movie by Pogus Caesar that was released in 2011.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our Aaliyah facts, then why not take a look at our articles on why Marco Polo was important or fun facts about Pablo Picasso?