On This Day 25 Years Ago, an R&B Icon’s Life Was Tragically Cut Short at Just 22 Years Old
· Vice
On this day 25 years ago, we lost one of the most special, promising young stars in music history. On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah boarded a plane to travel from the Bahamas to Miami, Florida. She had just wrapped up filming the music video for “Rock The Boat” early. Consequently, they were eager to make it back to the United States.
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Initially, they were supposed to wait on the Cessna 404, which was the original plane they arrived on. Moreover, it would’ve been a much larger aircraft that would’ve sufficiently accounted for their weight. Charter pilot Lewis Key was overheard fellow pilot Luis Morales III warning them that the plane would be too overloaded to safely take off.
“With nine people and all the camera and sound equipment they were loading, the pilot kept saying, ‘There’s too much weight for a safe flight to Opa-Locka [airport in Miami],'” Key said. “He tried to convince them the plane was overloaded, but they insisted they had chartered the plane and they had to be in Miami on Saturday night.”
Aaliyah Passed Away 25 Years Ago Today
Further investigations determined that the plane was over 900 pounds overweight and carried one passenger too many. The plane’s pilot, Morales, also wasn’t even properly certified to operate the aircraft. He falsified flight time hours needed in order to acquire his FAA license. Additionally, the toxicology showed that there were traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system when trying to pilot the plane.
The late R&B superstar passed away, along with eight other passengers. Her funeral took place in Manhattan, where family, close friends, and music’s biggest stars attended. Aaliyah’s brother Rashad delivered the eulogy, hoping for strength to continue every day without his sister.
“Aaliyah, you left, but I’ll see you always next to me, and I can see you smiling through the sunshine. When our life is over, our book is done. I hope God keeps me strong until I see her again,” he said.
Missy Elliott consistently pays tribute to her friend and R&B superstar. Most recently, she celebrated the 30th anniversary of her late friend’s classic album One in a Million. Elliott credited the album in pushing the future of R&B forward and gave the blueprint artists today still reference.
“30 years ago, Aaliyah ushered in a new sound that was FUTURISTIC and DISTINCTIVE. She had her own sound,” Missy Elliott wrote. “Her SMOOTH vocals & choreography complemented every beat. One in a Million wasn’t just an album; it was ART & a MASTERPIECE A BODY of WORK that, til this day, feels FRESH & NEW, & studied by many great artists today.”
Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage
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