As investigators in the Bahamas search the wreckage of a small plane that crashed on Saturday killing rising R&B star Aaliyah and eight others, the singer’s family and friends are struggling to come to terms with the tragedy.
“Aaliyah’s family is devastated at the loss of their loving daughter and sister,” said a statement from the star’s publicist. “Their hearts go out to those families who also lost their loved ones in this tragic accident.”
The sudden death of the starlet caught members of her native Brooklyn, New York, community off guard. “I am not believing this,” says one resident of the tightknit neighbourhood where Aaliyah Haughton spent her first five years. “She was just getting on her feet. She’s an inspiration for a lot of children in this community. Oh my Lord, her mother. I can’t imagine what she’s going through.”
Aaliyah’s boyfriend Damon Dash, CEO of Roc-A-Fella Records, has yet to comment on the crash, but insiders say he’s so distraught he hasn’t got out of bed since hearing the news.
The 22-year-old beauty and her entourage were in the Bahamas this weekend filming the video for her upcoming single Rock The Boat, the latest from her eponymous third album. She was preparing to return to the US on Saturday night when an argument reportedly broke out between the pilot of the fated Cessna 402 and her video crew, the New York Post reports.
“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’,” says veteran charter pilot Lewis Key, who overheard the disagreement. “He tried to convince them that the plane was overloaded, but they insisted they had chartered the plane and wanted to be in Miami Saturday night.”
While the investigation is ongoing, some suspect engine failure to be the culprit. “Several people have said they lost an engine on take-off,” reports Key. “But I guess the only people who know that for sure were on the plane – and they’re all gone.”
The twin-engine plane went down just moments after leaving the Marsh Harbour airport on Abaco Island en route to Opa-Locka, Florida. The plane flew 200 feet before crashing and catching on fire. Six of the passengers, who included make-up artist Eric Foreman, were killed instantly. Three others succumbed to injuries shortly afterwards.
The Grammy nominated artist made her feature film debut opposite Jet Li in the blockbuster Romeo Must Die and was slated to appear in two upcoming sequels to The Matrix. She had also recently wrapped filming on the big screen adaptation of Anne Rice’s best-selling novel The Queen Of The Damned which is scheduled to hit US theatres in April of 2002.
On the set of Romeo she met Warner Brothers honcho Lorenzo di Bonaventura. “Aaliyah was one of the finest young women I have ever worked with,” he said upon learning of her death. “She was a consummate professional, an amazing talent with limitless potential and, most importantly, an exceptional person. Her passing is a huge loss to her many friends here at Warner Brothers and we extend our heartfelt sympathy to her family and to those who loved her as we did.”
“Sometimes, when it’s just my mom and me kicking it, I say, ‘I’m 22 and I’ve accomplished so much’,” Aaliyah said earlier this year. “I just know I have to appreciate every moment.”
Aaliyah is survived by her mother, father and brother.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
