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Aaliyah

By SARA TEMPLETON

Aaliyah is a Swahili word meaning "highest" or "most exalted one," and the American-born singer-actress certainly achieved a lot and touched many people - this writer included - despite her short time on this Earth.

Aaliyah (pron: Ah-Lee-Yah) Dana Haughton was born on January the 16th, 1979, in Brooklyn, NYC, New York.

When she was five years old, Aaliyah and her family moved to Detroit in the state of Michigan.

She first began cultivating her amazing voice by singing in church as a young girl, and she also recollects that she was always in school plays - singing was her way of expressing herself in an artistic fashion.

After her parents had listened to their daughter singing so prodigiously in community groups, they sent Aaliyah to have professional vocal lessons.

By the age of nine, she was regularly performing and was always able to find work, such was her level of talent.

She went on to audition for many roles in the entertainment industry as a child and appeared on the famous US talent show, Star Search.

By age eleven, the gifted Aaliyah was on stage in Las Vegas five nights a week, performing with Gladys Knight.

Aaliyah's uncle, Barry Hankerson, was Gladys Knight's ex-husband and in the early 90s he managed an emerging artist called R. Kelly.

Aaliyah was introduced to Robert Kelly and immediately the two hit it off and despite many rumours suggesting the older R. Kelly was romantically engaged with 15-year old Aaliyah, they spent much time in the recording studio.

Her first album "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number" was released on May 24, 1994, and went platinum and produced two gold singles. Suffice it to say, Aaliyah was one happy artiste.

During her time working with R. Kelly on her first album in Chicago, Aaliyah remained a 'straight A' student at the well-respected Detroit High School of the Performing Arts, despite grossing millions of dollars in record sales.

She ditched Robert Kelly before her second album was released, entitled "One In A Million" which was produced by Timbaland.

Following this second album launch in 1996, she dipped her toe into the lucrative waters of Hollywood, recording music for features such as Anastasia and Dr. Dolittle.

Aaliyah made her feature film debut as a supporting actress with a hefty role in Romeo Must Die, which also starred martial arts guru Jet Li and was directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak.

Her single taken from the film's soundtrack, "Try Again", shot straight to the top of the US singles chart in June 2000, cementing her position in Western pop culture.

A year later in 2001, Aaliyah said goodbye to her teenage persona and released her third, self-titled album "Aaliyah".

Critics and fans alike hailed it as a coming of age for the promising R&B diva, but tragedy struck in August of 2001 after Aaliyah and her entourage were heading home from the Bahamas after filming a new video clip.

Their light plane crashed, killing all onboard.

Her third and final album posthumously reached No.1 in America and her passing brings much sadness; Aaliyah will be remembered as an emerging force in the R&B scene whose life ended before she hit her artistic peak.