Today, the music world is mourning the loss of a talent recently compared to that of Janet Jackson and Jennifer Lopez.
Singer and actress Aaliyah was only 22-years-old when she was killed on Saturday night after the Cessna 402 she was flying in from the Bahamas crashed in perfect weather due to engine trouble.
The singer, born Aaliyah Dana Haughton, was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Detroit where she sang in her church’s choir. She was performing with Gladys Knight in Las Vegas at 11-years-old and well on her way to stardom by 15.
Last year Aaliyah starred in Romeo Must Die, making her film debut opposite martial arts star Jet Li. Her hit single “Try Again,” which was featured on the soundtrack for the film, earned her a Grammy nomination for best female R&B singer earlier this year.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators will arrive in the Bahamas today along with Federal Aviation Administration officials to investigate the crash, which, so far, is being blamed on engine failure. However, the New York Post is reporting that the pilot argued that the plane was “dangerously overloaded” by the weight of video equipment and passengers. A fellow pilot, Lewis Key, told the Post that the pilot “eventually gave in and took off.”
Rescue workers told assistant superintendent of the Abaco police, Leland Russell that although they arrived on the scene quickly, the plane was “total wreckage.”
Aaliyah is survived by her mother, father and brother.
Music producer, arranger and composer Quincy Jones told the Associated Press, “[Aaliyah] was like one of my daughters, she was one of the sweetest girls in the world. She vacationed with me and my family together in Fiji. I loved her and respected her and I am absolutely devastated.”
Her family also released a statement via the singer’s publicist. “[They are] devastated at the loss of their loving daughter and sister. Their hearts go out to those families who also lost their loved ones in this tragic accident.”
Other passengers believed to be killed instantly on the doomed flight were pilot L. Marael; Christopher Maldonado of New York; Gina Smith of New Jersey; Scott Gallin and Keith Wallace both of Los Angeles; Douglas Kratz and Eric Foreman both of Hollywood, California.
One victim, Anthony Dodd of Los Angeles, survived the crash, but later passed away on Sunday in a Miami hospital.
