Aaliyah Haughton was born in Brooklyn, New York on January 16, 1979. At the age of five, she moved to Detroit. Aaliyah, whose name means "highest, most exalted one" in Swahili, says: "I've been singing all my life. I've always wanted this. I sang in church, in school plays, and my parents gave me vocal lessons." She began professionally performing at the age of nine, auditioning regularly for record companies, television pilots, and singing on Star Search. By the time she was eleven, Aaliyah was singing with Gladys Knight in Las Vegas for a five-night gig, whose ex-husband was Aaliyah's uncle, Barry Hankerson.

Barry Hankerson, who was also a the manager for the artist R. Kelly, introduced Aaliyah to R. Kelly. Aaliyah recalls: "I met Robert (R. Kelly) before he came out with 'Born in The 90's. He came to my house and I sang for him, from there we went into the studio and started working together." Aaliyah says: "It came out of nowhere, yet it felt totally natural. I was tripped out. As that first album was coming to a finish, I was listening back to the tracks thinking, 'Wow, that's really me. This is how I am and how I sound.'" The album, "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number" later went platinum and produced two gold singles: "Back & Forth" and "At Your Best (You Are Love)". "I remember how nervous I was right before 'Back & Forth' came out. It was my first single and I kept wondering if people would accept it. when it went gold, I had my answer, and it was such an incredibly satisfying feeling."

Fans are waiting for her next album. While in the mean time, Aaliyah recorded a motion picture theme song for the movie Anastasia called "Journey to the Past." The song was nominated for an Academy Award and Aaliyah had the opportunity to perform in front of Hollywood's best as well as in front of the whole world at the awards show. Aaliyah has recently collaborated with Timbaland and Magoo as well as with Ginuwine and Missy Eliot in a number of songs. Her latest single is for the upcoming movie Dr. Dolittle starring Eddie Murphy that was released this summer.

The 22-year-old singer and actress was one of nine people aboard a twin-engine plane that crashed seconds after taking off from the Bahamas on Saturday, August 27, 2001, according to Grand Bahama police superintendent Basil Rahming. All nine died.

Aaliyah was in the Bahamas shooting a video, Minister of Tourism Tommy Turnquest told the Associated Press.

She died instantly when the plane, a Cessna 402B, exploded on impact just 200 feet beyond the end of a runway at Marsh Harbour International Airport on Abaco Island at 6:45 p.m., Rahming said. The craft, which was bound for Opa-Locka Airport, just northwest of Miami, apparently suffered engine failure upon liftoff, he said.

Full Name: Aaliyah Dana Haughton
Date of Birth: 01/16/79; she's currently 22
Astrological Sign: Capricorn
Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York
Current Residence: Manhattan, New York
Height: 5'7
Shoe Size: Size 6 ½ - 7 (depending on the shoe). Aaliyah also likes to wear kids' runners size 3-4
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Black
Mom and Dad: Diane (mother) and Michael (father)
Sibling(s): Rashad (brother)-08/06/77

Origin of Name: If you listen to Aaliyah, one minute it's Arabic and the next it's Swahili. Here's the real deal. The name Aaliyah is an Arabic name derived from the male version Ali. It means highest, most exalted one, the best.
Nicknames: Babygirl, Wonderwoman, Liyah
Best Friend(s): Kidada Jones, Valerie Vaughn and her mom
Pets: Yorkshire Terrier named Rico (not sure of the dog's name but absolutely sure of the dog type. Tour her former dog died by the way) and a pet snake (kermit) that her uncle Barry bought her recently.
Pet Peeves: Skirts
Tattoos: 3 tattoos: her initial and a star on her hand, music symbol on her ankle and a dove on her back.
Lucky Charms: A pillow named Wilson that she takes everywhere to with her and her toy orangutan that her grandmother gave her named Lina.
Collects: Stuff animals and sunglasses.

DID YOU KNOW?

Aaliyah moved to Detroit from Brooklyn at the age of 5
She first realized she could sing at the age of 6
Auditioned for the school play of ANNIE at age 6
Auditioned for the TV show Family Matters at age 9
At the Age of 11, she appeared on the nationally syndicated show Star Search
At age 11, Performed in Las Vegas for 5 nights with Gladys Knight
Graduated from the Detroit High School of the Performing Arts with a 4.0 GPA
Auditioned for the Elton John Broadway show AIDA
At age 21, appeared in Joel Silver's feature film Romeo Must Die
Aaliyah took Kung-Fu as a young child with her brother Rashad
Aaliyah is a huge Stevie Wonder fan
Aaliyah got her dove tattoo as a dedication to her grandmother
Aaliyah's grandmother was the one that suggested Dana as a middle name for this talented songstress
Aaliyah first heard herself on the radio while she was on her way to see the dentist?
Attended her high school prom with 5 friends in matching suits
The Creative Artist Agency represent Aaliyah in her acting career.
Aaliyah is managed by Raliyah entertainment which consists of her mom and her dad (Raliyah-Rashad & Aaliyah)
Aaliyah had her teeth, hair and body airbrushed grey everyday during the shoot for Queen of the Damned because she turned into stone and apparently it was a long process
Aaliyah is addicted to the website http://www.kozmo.com
The first single that she bought was Karma Chameleon by Culture Club (Aaliyah still plays the song everyday!!)
Aaliyah's toy orangutan that her grandmother gave her was in a scene in Romeo Must Die (can you find where it was?)
Aaliyah recorded most of her 3rd album while on location in Australia filming Queen of the Damned Aaliyah loves to sing Donny Hathaway when she's in the shower
Aaliyah's pet snake is named Kermit

FAVORITES

Favorite Food: Pancakes
Favorite Dessert: Vanilla ice-cream with vanilla syrup, nuts, whipped cream and cherries
Favorite Place To Eat: Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles
Favorite Color: Black
Favorite Movie: Silence of the Lamb and The Lost Boys
Favorite Author: Stephen King
Favorite Jewelry: Silver
Favorite Artist: Janet Jackson
Favorite Music Group: Isley Brothers
Favorite Music Video: Michael Jackson's Thriller