25 interesting Aaliyah facts

  1. Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979, better known simply as her stage name Aaliyah.
  2. Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn, New York to Michael and Diane Haughton.Aaliyah singer
  3. Aaliyah was an American R&B singer, dancer, fashion model and actress.
  4. At age 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and Blackground Records by her uncle, Barry Hankerson.
  5. In 1995 at age 15, Aaliyah performed the "National Anthem" live at Orlando Magic game.
  6. Aaliyah had a vocal range of a soprano.
  7. Aaliyah is notable for recording several hit records, including five number one R&B hits, one number one pop hit, and seven top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, Aaliyah sold over 24 million records worldwide during her career.
  8. With the release of her debut single "Back & Forth", Dimitri Ehrlich of Entertainment Weekly expressed that Aaliyah's "silky vocals are more agile than those of self-proclaimed queen of hip-hop soul Mary J. Blige."
  9. Aaliyah also modeled for Tommy Hilfiger and starred in two motion pictures before her
  10. death in a plane crash in 2001 at the age of 22.
  11. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic described her eponymous album, Aaliyah, as "a statement of maturity and a stunning artistic leap forward" and called it one of the strongest urban soul records of its time.
  12. Aaliyah's maternal grandmother, Mintis L. Hicks Hankerson, was a Native American.
  13. She described her image as being "important… to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack".
  14. Aaliyah is Arabic for "highest, most exalted one, the best."
  15. In 2001, the United States Social Security Administration ranked the name Aaliyah one of the 100 most popular names for newborn girls.
  16. Aaliyah and former Beatle George Harrison made UK Chart History in January 2002 when they scored the first, and to this date only, back-to-back posthumous number one hits.
  17. Aaliyah was ranked as one of "The Top 40 Women of the Video Era" and "100 Sexiest Artists" in VH1's 2003 The Greatest series.
  18. Aaliyah's "More than a Woman", released on January 7 and topped the chart on January 13, was followed by Harrison's "My Sweet Lord", re-released on January 14 and topped the chart on January 20.
  19. At age 19, Aaliyah was the first and youngest African-American woman to ever perform at the Oscars.
  20. Aaliyah was the face for Tommy Hilfiger's new line of street-but-sweet fashion in 1996-1997.
  21. In 1998, Aaliyah was the spokesperson for Clairol's hair product for women of color, Texture and Tones.
  22. Grammy-winning R&B singer Gladys Knight was Aaliyah's aunt by Knight's former marriage to Aaliyah's uncle, Barry Hankerson.
  23. Aaliyah was considered for the role of Alex in the 2000 film Charlie's Angels, but was too young at the time.
  24. On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were killed in an airplane crash in The Bahamas after filming the music video for the single "Rock the Boat".
  25. In memory of Aaliyah, the Entertainment Industry Foundation created the Aaliyah Memorial Fund to donate money raised to charities she supported.
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