She may have died young, but Aaliyah’s friends and fans have not forgotten her. On Wednesday, they flooded social media with sweet messages to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of the “baby girl”.
“My baby girl, your influence is still there over the years, and your influence is everywhere! So many people are still attracted by your voice and style! It’s great to see the new generation become fans of your art and love your heart. Wonderful,” Missy Elliott wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. “We love you __ and may your spirit live forever 4ever.”
The “Get Your Freak On” rapper became friends with Aaliyah when working with record producer/rapper Timbaland to produce the late artist’s second album “One Million”, which was released in 1996.
Aaliyah’s loyal fans also said some sweet words to her.
On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah died in a plane crash in the Bahamas at the age of 22. She had just filmed a music video for her single “Rock the Boat” when the overloaded plane crashed and all 9 passengers on board were killed.
Twenty years after the plane crash, fans triumphantly celebrate the inclusion of Aaliyah’s music Spotify August 20.
“When she was here she was a mystery, and when she was away she was a mystery,” said Casey Iandoli, author of the new book “Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah” CNN. “She is a bigger mystery, and people like mystery.”
Aaliyah’s manor is run by Aaliyah LLC on behalf of her mother Diane, brother Rashad, and her former agent and uncle Barry Hankerson. A special message was also shared with fans on Wednesday.
“With a heavy heart, we share this commemoration of the 20th anniversary with you. We want to pay tribute to the beautiful life and legacy of Babygirl,” the message read.
“In order to express our love and respect for your support over the years, we are happy to launch a special project that we have been working on. We firmly believe that it embodies Aaliyah’s spirit and passion for life and her art. Please go to Aaliyah’s The official YouTube channel (link in our IG Stories) to see what we have been doing. We are just getting started, and we hope you can really feel how we feel. Aaliyah and her comrades are in our hearts, the Aaliyah team,” it says.
Aaliyah’s YouTube channel aired excerpts from the late singer’s 2001 interview, which was filmed by MTV for its popular documentary series “Diary.” The series was broadcast on August 8, 2001, two weeks before the singer’s death.
The YouTube channel announced that the complete episode of “Aaliyah’s MTV Diary” will be uploaded soon. Since its release on Wednesday, the trailer has been viewed nearly 18,000 times.
Photo: AFP/VINCE BUCCI
