Aaliyah

A huge, multi-platinum selling, R&B star of the 1990s, Aaliyah topped the charts, starred in movies and was dubbed the Queen of Urban Pop, all before her tragic death aged just 22. The niece of legendary soul star Gladys Knight, Aaliyah was managed and signed to her uncle Barry Hankerson's label from 12-years-old and first came to prominence a couple of years later when her debut album Age Ain't Nothing But A Number (1994) sold over 3 million copies and produced the US Top 10 hits Back & Forth and At Your Best (You Are Love). Rumoured to have married her influential producer R. Kelly while still only 15, her sound developed from teen pop into a more edgy, strutting hip hop swagger with the introduction of young beat makers Timbaland and Missy Elliott on second album One In A Million (1996). She received rave reviews for her starring role in the film Romeo Must Die and scored her first US Number 1 with the soundtrack's single Try Again before topping the charts with third album Aaliyah (2001). Just days after its release, Aaliyah was killed in a plane crash while returning from filming a video for single Rock The Boat in the Bahamas. She posthumously topped the UK charts with the track More Than A Woman and had great success with compilation album I Care 4 U; and left a lasting influence on the likes of Rihanna, Beyoncé and Alicia Keys.

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