Aaliyah Aaliyah was born January 16, 1979 Brooklyn, New York Died August 25, 2001 Marsh Harbour, Abaco Island, Bahamas Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 - August 25, 2001), better known simply as her stage name Aaliyah, was an American R&B singer, dancer, fashion model and actress. Introduced to audiences by R&B singer R. Kelly, Aaliyah became famous in her own right during the mid-1990s with several hit records from the songwriting/production team of Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and Timbaland, and their associate Steve "Static" Garrett.
Notable for recording several hit records, including five number one R&B hits, one number one pop hit, and seven top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, Aaliyah sold over 24 million records worldwide during her career. The singer also modeled for Tommy Hilfiger and starred in two motion pictures before her untimely death in a plane crash in 2001 at the age of 22.