Aaliyah, the rising R&B star who met an untimely end - True Crime & Music

On 25th of August 2001, the sunlight shimmered on white sands, as it does most summer days in the Bahamas. As rising R&B singer Aaliyah wraps up the shooting for her latest music video for single Rock the Boat, she prepares to return home to the U.S.

However, on this particular day tragedy struck in paradise, as the small chartered plane carrying 9 passengers, including Aaliyah crashed shortly after take off. The crash took the lives of all passengers, ending the 22 year-old’s budding career in an instant.

In years prior, Aaliyah had been slowly making her rise to fame, her debut solo album Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number in 1994, selling more than 6 million copies and was certified double platinum. Undeniably, the star had come a long way from her humble beginnings, singing at weddings and performing on Star Search alongside her aunt Gladys Knight.

Seemingly, the tragic loss of a talented young person to what appeared to be a freak accident doesn’t seem like it can get any worse. However, investigations into the crash revealed new shocking details.

Firstly, an autopsy revealed the pilot had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system, and even worse was that he was unqualified to fly this particular type of jet. Secondly, investigators revealed that a major contributing factor that led to the crash was that the plane was overloaded by about 700 lbs (around the weight of a grand piano). It was later confirmed that neither passengers nor cargo was weighed before take off. It appeared a last minute change of the charter plane company led to the team being provided a smaller plane than the one they had arrived on. Evidently, Aaliyah’s life and the lives of her team were tragically cut short due to carelessness. It is heart wrenching to imagine the trust a young star navigating adulthood and fame must have put into those around her, leaning on her team to aid with logistics such as travel.

Sadly, Aaliyah was not naive to the ugly side of the celebrity world, having married 27 year old singer R-Kelly at just 15. This happened shortly after the now convicted sex offender helped Aaliyah produce her debut single in 1994. The eventual and short-lived career of Aaliyah highlights how young women within the music industry are often very vulnerable to manipulation and abuse. Further, Aaliyah’s case demonstrates an instance where profit was protritised over safety.

Even over 20 years since the singer's death, the world still remembers Aaliyah and her impact. Recently, Barbie released a doll in her likeness, dressed in an all-black outfit similar to the one she wore in her music video “One in a Million”. The singer also received three posthumous Grammy Award nominations.