A role model to many, Aaliyah was meant for the limelight. Born in 1979, she lived the celebrity life venturing into acting, singing, and modeling. Her career took off at age 10 after appearing on a television show, Star Search and performed in a concert alongside Gladys Knight. Shortly after, she signed to Jive Records and her uncle’s Blackground Records which introduced her to R. Kelly.
Her debut album, Age Aint Nothing but a Number was a certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after it sold three million copies. She became a national celebrity.
She continued to make strides in the industry, working with Timbaland and Missy Elliot. The duo ensured her second album, One in a Million, surpassed the success of the first as it sold three million copies in the U.S and more than eight million worldwide.
Aaliyah sadly passed away in 2001 with eight others after a flight conveying them from a music video shoot crashed in the Bahamas.
Her songs continue to achieve commercial success with several posthumous releases.
To remember a music icon and commemorate her birthday, we bring you some facts you probably didn’t know about her.
