<P> Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Aaliyah first gained recognition at the age of 10, when she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight . At age 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records . Hankerson introduced her to R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number . The album sold three million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After facing allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed with Atlantic Records . </P> <P> Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One in a Million, which sold 3 million copies in the United States and over eight million copies worldwide . In 2000, Aaliyah appeared in her first film, Romeo Must Die . She contributed to the film's soundtrack, which spawned the single "Try Again". The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 solely on airplay, making Aaliyah the first artist in Billboard history to achieve this goal . "Try Again" also earned Aaliyah a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocalist . After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah filmed her role in Queen of the Damned, and released her third and final studio album, Aaliyah, in 2001 . </P> <P> On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas after filming the music video for the single "Rock the Boat". The pilot, Luis Morales III, was unlicensed at the time of the accident and toxicology tests revealed that he had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system . Aaliyah's family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Blackhawk International Airways, which was settled out of court . Aaliyah's music has continued to achieve commercial success with several posthumous releases, and has sold an estimated 24 to 32 million albums worldwide . She has been credited for helping redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames "Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop". She is listed by Billboard as the tenth most successful female R&B artist of the past 25 years, and the 27th most successful R&B artist in history . </P> <P> Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York, and was the younger child of Diane and Michael "Miguel" Haughton (1951--2012). She was African American, and had Native American (Oneida) heritage from a grandmother . Her name has been described as a female version of the Arabic "Ali"; however, the original Arabic and Jewish name "Aliya (Hebrew: אליה)" derived from the Hebrew word "aliyah (Hebrew: עלייה)", and meant "highest, most exalted one, the best ." Regardless of origin, the singer was highly fond of her Semitic name, expressing support by calling it "beautiful" and asserting that she was "very proud of it," and she thus spent her entire life striving to live up to her name every day . At a young age, Aaliyah was enrolled in voice lessons by her mother . She started performing at weddings, church choir and charity events . When she was five years old, her family moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she was raised along with her older brother, Rashad . She attended a Catholic school, Gesu Elementary, where in first grade, she received a part in the stage play Annie . From then on, she was determined to become an entertainer . In Detroit, her father began working in the warehouse business, one of his brother - in - law Barry Hankerson's widening interests . Her mother stayed home and raised Aaliyah and her brother . </P>

American female singer who died in a plane crash