Aaliyah Dana Haughton, better known as Aaliyah, was born on January 16, 1979 in Brooklyn, New York. The American singer Aaliyah is best remembered for her debut album ‘Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number’ which sold three million copies in the United States. Similarly, her second album was a resounding success, making her one of the most popular youth icons of the 1990s.

Music had been a passion of hers since she was a child, thanks to her vocalist mother. Aaliyah was introduced to show business by her close relative Gladys Maria Knight, a recording artist. Traveling with Gladys often, she began auditioning for television commercials and shows. As a 12-year-old, she was signed to Jive Records and Barry Hankerson’s Blackground Records. At 14, she recorded her debut album, which became a sensational hit and defined R&B in the 1990s.

Following the success of her singing career, she began acting in ‘Romeo Must Die,’ starring opposite martial artist Jet Li. Additionally, she contributed four songs to the soundtrack of the film. As a 22-year-old rising star, her career ended abruptly in an aircraft crash in 2001.