Aaliyah winning the
MTV Award for Best Video in 2000. Friends and fans remember the child
prodigy-turned-pop-diva who died exactly nine years ago on Wednesday,
Aug. 25 on a flight to record a music video in the Bahamas. (George De
Sota/Liaison)
At age 14, the singer recorded her first album Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number released in 1994. She appeared on Star Search at the age of 9 and signed her first record deal at 12.
Her death still resonates within the hip-hop and R&B communities, as a recent MTV interview with Missy Elliott revealed.
“There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of [Aaliyah] or watch a video or play her music," Elliott told MTV in an interview published on Wednesday. “I miss her every day.”
Elliott, 39, was heavily involved in Aaliyah’s 1996 sophomore album One in a Million, which sold more than 2 million records.
“She was a very sweet spirit!” Elliott said of the 22-year-old singer. “Never seen her angry as long as I've known her, and in this business, that's unheard of!"
Singer Ciara tweeted: "RIP Aaliyah. U can NEVER be replaced!!"
Numerous figures in the hip-hop community, along with Ciara, reminisced over the singer's death, including Raekwon, Trina and Ne-Yo.
Rapper Talib Kweli tweeted: "RIP Aaliyah, who we lost exactly 9 years ago. We learned so much from you, you are forever missed."