Loyal reader Shalonda requested an Aaliyah song (“anything without R. Kelly”) to remember Aaliyah who died from injuries she suffered in a plane crash on August 25, 2001 – 7 years ago today. Aaliyah was 22 years old.
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Sandra Rose is founder of Sandrarose.com. She writes about entertainment, gossip, news, health, sports and fashion. Prior to launching her entertainment blog in 2007, Sandra was a well-known celebrity photographer in Atlanta.
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I can recall the day I heard the news she had passed vividly, I was in awe and shock….it was Sunday and I was on my way to church, and all I could think of was it can’t be true, after service I stopped at the grocery store to read it for myself-and I remember feeling very angry and sad because such a beautiful, talented, and young woman’s life seemed to had ended way too soon-but God knows it all…
Aaliyah is and will always be truly missed………
Miss her music so much .
thanx so much for posting this sandra. i was thinking about baby girl a few days ago…she is truly missed!
She died not too soon after my birthday i remember because i wanted to see her in concert so BAD but sadly she died =”[
SHe didnt have as many fans as brandy or monica or record sales, but there is something so great about her that i miss because if she was still around i know shed put those trollops(BEYONCE, RHIANNA) to shame
I remember being on the road, receiving several voicemails, yet still refusing to believe it. Even after tuning into the radio listening to them play her songs back to back,,,,I figured it was just a coincidence. So young, so tragic, so very sad.
she was my girl minus the r.kelly stuff!
Thank you Sandra for doing this. I remember just wanting to be like her when her first CD came out. She was talented, beautiful, and had a sweet spirit about her that was genuine. I do agree if she was still here she would be killing the game right now. I’m a true fan from the first CD to the last. I remember when I heard about it that Sunday after I got back from church. I just refused to believe it and I was waiting for a news report to come on and say it was all a rumor. All I can think is that GOD wanted his Angel in heaven with him. REST IN PEACE AALIYAH.
Yeah, I remember where I was too when I heard the news, I believe it was that Saturday night, I was on Howe Avenue & Hurley Way, in front of TGI Fridays- Yeah, it made THAT much of an impact on me.
I always admired her. She seemed like a genuine sweetie. She was a good example for young women at the time- she was an entertainer and didn’t have to resort to being overtly sexual to make a name for herself.
No one will ever replace her.
R.I.P. Baby Girl!
Wow, has it been 7 yrs?! Seems like yesterday. She was definitely a talented young woman. I could only imagine where she would have been in her career had her life not been shortened. . .she was sweet, genuine and could dance her butt off.
Awww. Thanks, Sandra. She was so talented, innocent, and sweet.
I was going to the beach with my boyfriend that Saturday night and the radio station played Aaliyah’s songs back-to-back. We were both like “I know she’s not dead.” To our surprise, she was. I was so sad. It was almost like I knew her. That’s how much of an impact she had on me. I downloaded her song the other day, Four Page Letter. R.I.P. angel.
My Fav song was the Isley brother’s cover .. At your Best
She is missed …
intensemocha
You must have heard about it the next day which makes sense, because it was first announced Saturday night. I had just bought her CD that very day. I was balling at the time from my tech stock options and my friends and I were in a limo on our way to party in NYC. We heard it on the radio and initially thought it was a terrible hoax. We didn’t really believe it until they announced it in the club. What a tragedy. She seemed so sweet. I was shocked and appalled to learn that she was in a relationship with Dame Dash who even then had a reputation for being an a$$hole of the highest order.
cbann88 Says:
SHe didnt have as many fans as brandy or monica or record sales……
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I say:
I find that very hard to believe. In fact I don’t believe it. Brandy and Monica generally had one hit per album during the very short time that they were making hits at all. Aaliyah had multiple hits off of every album she released and was well on her way to becoming a movie star.
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HunE916 Says:
No one will ever replace her.
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I say:
Ciara was created to do just that. Had Aaliyah not passed, I doubt we would have ever heard of Ciara. Unfortunately CiCi only had the dance moves. Aaliyah had a very soft voice ala Janet Jackson, but she could hold a note, unlike CiCi who is neck and neck with Cassie in the vocal ability department.
Bird… I totally agree with you! Thanks Sandra for posting this up and the video… This video brings back the memories… I knew the entire dance routine! lol
RIP Aaliyah
Unfortunately Aaliyah died in her prime when she was on top of the world, she had just started to branch out into acting..As a matter of fact she had a role in The Matrix, Nona Gay took over Aaliyah’s part, all I can do today is wonder what kind of star she would have been if she had lived.
RIP AALIYAH, YOU WERE THE GREATEST!!!
I recall i was also driving i think i was 16yrs old at the time and my cell was ringing off the hook. I pulled over at Raley’s grocery store and cried my eyes out and turned on the radio and listened to all the tributes and shout outs for her rest in peace…..She was my idol for real i really looked up to her growing up. I felt that her music was made just for me. Every emotion i went through she sung about it. I’ve never cried over no artist I’m not that type of person but with her I just felt a real strong connection with her musically. And that comes a dime a dozen.
~GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN RIP~ BABY GIRL
wow…this is great you posted this. i was so sad to hear of this news…god rest her soul.
To this day, Aaliyah has been the only celebrity whose passing I really felt. Like, cried tears and wondered “why?”
I was in collge, leaving a party when they announced her death. I could not believe it and it’s still hard to believe sometimes. She was killed in the prime of her life and the best thing about her was her spirit – she seemed very humbled and sweet, which is something a lot of stars today lack.
And my jam from her was The One I Gave My Heart To. Got me through a breakup or two.
RIP.
Somebody said that she was innocent she wasnt that innocent when she slept with nasty azz r.kelly other than that I like her music she would have been 29 or 30 yrs old this year. Its a **damn** shame when the young and talented die. I guess everybody gonna die one-day…
She was so smoove. RIP baby girl.
I remember the day she died. I was up late with my boyfriend arguing, when he got a page, (yes a Page) LOL, but anyways he got a page saying Aaliyah had died. I told him “ya’ll and everybody else need to stop with all those lies.” Then something said check the internet, and when I saw it on MTV’s website. My mouth was wide open, I started crying, like I actually knew her. The reason I cried was b/c at that point I realized it didn’t matter who you were, what age you are, that tomorrow is NEVER promised. It also hurt more b/c I was the exact same age as Aaliyah, and at 22 yrs old, you do think your invincible. I MISS YOU AALIYAH! FAN FOR LIFE!!!
Ok, I was waiting on a hater to come in the comments and say something inappropriate. Mizzdallas how can you say that she wasn’t innocent because she slept with R.Kelly? Were you there? Do you really know what happened? That is irrelevant to this post. This is about remembering Aaliyah not bringing up that mess from the past.
Anyways,
Cbann88 I totally agree with you, I believe Aaliyah had as many if not more fans than Monica or Brandy. All 3 of her albums went platinum and I believe one of those were double platinum. I don’t recall Monica or Brandy doing that every single album.
I think the word hater is soooo overrated. I dont hate anybody not even people who disagree with me. People still sensitive OMG! get a grip on life. If I choose to comment on the past whether good or bad thats what I can do on this blog. This will be the last time I comment on this post. Thank u! Have a nice day!!!!!!
@ BIRD
How many grammys did aaliyah win? 0 And her sales were barely 4 million monica sold 10 million and brandy sold 12 million. Trust me she was not as popular as monica or brandy, or Mary J Blidge for that matter.
She is missed.
Rest in peace.
Thanks for the post Ms. Rose … her music lives on for sure. She def made waves in the industry. I still listen to alot of her music to this day. She was talented and seemed to eb an overall sweet girl. May she rest in peace.
Aaliyah was loved by HER fans…Grammy or not Brandy or Monica was not on her level !!! RIP!!
RIP Aaliyah. I still bump your music to this day.
I just wonder if these celebs would miss us, if we died suddenly…
I was never a major fan, I did like her music and had a CD, cant remember what I was doing when I heard. But it’s always said when someone dies tragically at such a young age. RIP
As a fan, I know she is in a better place.Somehow I can’t always bring up how she died because I won’t be able to move on.Been a fan since day one.
She was fab! Loved her for the baggy jeans and the femmed up men’s wear…an icon for all non-girly girls everywhere! =) Miss her!!
I can too vividly remembering about her pass. I was home in the kitchen with my sister and she got this call from her now sister n law that aaliyah had died saturday around 6 in a plane crash. Immediately, I felt hurt but I didn’t cry until days later when I was listening to her music.
cbann88 Says:
@ BIRD
How many grammys did aaliyah win? 0 And her sales were barely 4 million monica sold 10 million and brandy sold 12 million. Trust me she was not as popular as monica or brandy, or Mary J Blidge for that matter.
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Here you go. I have done the research for you.
Monica – Miss Thang, went Triple Platinum 5 years after it came out. It is Monica’s only platinum album.
Aaliyah – Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number went Double Platinum 6 years after it came out. One In A Million went Double Platinum in less than a year. Aaliyah went Double Platinum in less than a year.
Brandy – Brandy went Quadruple Platinum in 2 years. Never Say Never went 5x Platinum in 1 year.
In summary
Monica – 1 platinum out of 5 albums
Aaliyah – 3 platinum out of 3 albums
Brandy – 2 platinum out of 5 albums
I don’t know where people get that 10 million thing from, but it is a fabrication.
BEAUTIFUL!!!
Absolutely loved her, she repped my hometown of Detroit, and my second fave city of New York..I remember her “Diary” on MTV had just been taped shortly before her death. You could tell she was enjoying her life and she had a great support base of family and friends. I will always miss her, her music stays in my rotation.
RIP Aaliyah!!!