Aaliyah’s story was tragically cut short, but her impact on music and pop culture continues to resonate decades later.
On what would have been her 47th birthday, January 16, the legacy of the artist who died in a plane crash at age 22 remains powerfully influential.
“Sometimes, when it’s just my mom and me kicking it, I say, ‘I’m 22, and I’ve accomplished so much,'” Aaliyah shared just months before her death on August 25, 2001. “I just know I have to appreciate every moment.”
A Rising Star From a Young Age
Aaliyah’s debut studio album, Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number, released in 1994, achieved double platinum certification and sold over 6 million copies worldwide, propelled by the success of top-10 singles like “Back & Forth” and “At Your Best (You Are Love).”
The Brooklyn-born, Detroit-bred singer was already a seasoned performer as a teenager, singing at weddings at the age of 8, appearing on Star Search alongside Gladys Knight—whose brief marriage to Aaliyah’s uncle, record producer Barry Hankerson, occurred in the 1970s—at 10, and taking the stage in Las Vegas at 11.
In a New York morning show interview promoting her first performance at the legendary Apollo Theater, Aaliyah proudly noted, “I’m still in high school,” while also sharing that she maintained a straight-A report card.
