Aaliyah Trends As Fans Remember Her On What Would Have Been Her 44th Birthday

Aaliyah

Aaliyah Trends As Fans Remember Her On What Would Have Been Her 44th Birthday

Fans are remembering iconic recording artist Aaliyah on what would have been her 44th birthday.

As you may recall, on August 25, 2001, the world was shocked to learn that famed entertainer Aaliyah passed away at the age of 22. The “One In A Million” songstress died in an airplane accident in the Bahamas when the overloaded aircraft she was traveling in reportedly crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all nine passengers on board.

Aaliyah

Today (January 16), marks what would have been Aaliyah’s birthday. The late R&B singer is trending on Twitter as social media users remember her timeless music videos, hit tracks, individual sense of style, and her most notable moments during her career. The official Twitter page for Aaliyah wrote,

“Happy 44th Birthday Babygirl!

‘Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16th 1979.
Her first name is pronounced Ah-Lee-Yah. Her middle name Dana was a desire of her maternal Grandmother.’

– Team Aaliyah”

Happy 44th Birthday ? Babygirl! ??????

“Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16th 1979.
Her first name is pronounced Ah-Lee-Yah. Her middle name Dana was a desire of her maternal Grandmother.”

– Team Aaliyah #aaliyah #teamaaliyah #happybirthdayaaliyah pic.twitter.com/OdQPudZ0IR

— Aaliyah (@aaliyah) January 16, 2023

See reactions below:

one in a million by aaliyah. pic.twitter.com/xx8ZOSjxrM

— songs that changed history (@iconiksongs) January 16, 2023

they thought she was done, but aaliyah came back with this ! pic.twitter.com/sBbdvdFTTp

— AALIYAH LEGION ~ FAN ACCOUNT (@AaliyahLegion) January 11, 2023

pic.twitter.com/ekCIeVrT7c https://t.co/JYAhXVIMSK

— AALIYAH LEGION ~ FAN ACCOUNT (@AaliyahLegion) January 11, 2023

Aaliyah – Are You That Somebody (1998), Timeless Classic ?pic.twitter.com/1s1SlI2WQi

— Tobi Marshall (@CoededMarshall) January 16, 2023

Aaliyah’s fans also shared an old interview where she talked about what she hopes her legacy will be. She said,

“Right now it’s hard to say what I want my legacy to be. You know, what I want people to say when I’m long gone. At this point, right now, I’m going to say that I want people to see me as an entertainer.”

aaliyah speaking of how she wanted to be remembered. even though we didn’t have her for long, she accomplished so much in such a short amount of time and left an impact on music forever. happy birthday babygirl. ??pic.twitter.com/lRR3YGD5CF

— khalia. | aaliyah day ? (@VERONASFILMS) January 16, 2023

Aaliyah sounded like the future of music 22 years ago pic.twitter.com/zkAIvq1odK

— Lady Raye (@lady_raye_) January 15, 2023

Happy 44th Bday to my fav Aaliyah ?? pic.twitter.com/mrlccr1Q9d

— Boochie Is The Name. (@stawpfeenin) January 16, 2023

Happy Birthday to Aaliyah ? pic.twitter.com/qvmCHtdxlq

— The Insomnious (@TheInsomnious1) January 16, 2023

happy heavenly birthday to aaliyah ??? truly one of a kind. we miss you so much princess <3 pic.twitter.com/EhYX0nYXeH

— jorden • AALIYAH DAY ? (@S4TURNSPOV) January 16, 2023

As you may recall, Aaliyah’s 1994 debut album, “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number,” was recorded when she was 14. Incarcerated R&B artist R. Kelly, the late singer’s mentor, served as a lead songwriter and producer of the project. Reportedly, he was first introduced to the “Try Again” artist by her uncle/manager, music executive Barry Hankerson. Following the release of the album, heavy speculation surfaced that there was an inappropriate relationship between the then-teenaged Aaliyah and the then-27-year-old R. Kelly.

R. Kelly

The pair secretly married in August 1994 when Aaliyah was 15, but the marriage certificate falsified her age as 18. In February 1995, Aaliyah’s parents had the marriage annulled. As previously reported, new allegations came to light accusing R. Kelly of forcing Aaliyah and her family to sign a non-disclosure agreement following his marriage and subsequent annulment to the singer.

Aaliyah

In the final installment of Lifetime’s “Surviving R. Kelly,” Kelly’s former security guard and childhood friend Gem Pratt appears in the docuseries and alleges Aaliyah’s father was livid over the marriage and forced the annulment. Gem Pratt claims the “Rock the Boat” singer’s family had a contractual arrangement with Kelly that stated they won’t press charges against him for illegally marrying Aaliyah after it was annulled. In exchange, Kelly sold his rights to his first three albums to Aaliyah’s family, giving them a financial incentive. In the docuseries, Gem Pratt states,

“Her dad didn’t want her anywhere near him.”

R. Kelly

What do you remember most about Aaliyah? Let us know in the comment section below!