Aaliyah Dana Haughton was an American R&B and pop singer, dancer, fashion model and actress. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she was raised in Detroit, Michigan, where she attended Detroit School of Performing Arts.

She first gained recognition at the age of 10, when she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At the age of 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records. She released her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number the album sold three million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry.

Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One in a Million, which sold three million copies in the United States and more than eight million copies worldwide. In 2000, Aaliyah appeared in her first film, Romeo Must Die. She contributed to the film's soundtrack, which spawned the single "Try Again". The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 solely on airplay, making Aaliyah the first artist in Billboard history to achieve this goal. After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah filmed her role in Queen of the Damned, and released, in 2001, her self-titled third and final studio album, which topped the Billboard 200. Unfortunately, the 22 year old singer's life was tragically cut short in a 2001 plane crash after filming her video for "Rock The Boat" in The Bahamas.

Aaliyah became famous in her own right during the mid-1990s with several hit records from the songwriting/production team of Missy Elliott and Timbaland, and their associate Steve "Static" Garrett. Notable for recording several hit singles, including "One in A Million" and "Try Again", Aaliyah has sold over 32 million records total worldwide, including posthumous releases. Two posthumous albums have been released since Haughton's death: I Care 4 U in December 2002, and Ultimate Aaliyah in April 2005, the latter of which was released as a box set that included her greatest hits and a documentary on her life. Haughton also ventured outside of music, modeling for Tommy Hilfiger and starring in two motion pictures (Romeo Must Die & Queen of The Damned) before her untimely death.
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