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Newspaper reports

September 3rd

Aaliyah's pomp-filled funeral
03 SEP 2001
AFP


THOUSANDS of fans and an array of celebrities turned out over the weekend at the funeral for singer and actress Aaliyah, who died last week in a plane crash in the Bahamas.

A horse-drawn hearse covered with dozens of roses carried the body of the 22-year pop star, who died a week ago along with eight members of her entourage.

Some 1200 guests were invited to attend the hour-long Catholic funeral mass at the Church of Saint Ignatius Loyola on Manhattan's Park Avenue, including Delroy Lindo, the actor who was Aaliyah's co-star "Romeo Must Die" – the movie that marked her acting debut.

Also present were actor Jet Li and soul music legend Gladys Knight, who was married to Aaliyah's uncle, Barry Hankerson. Other music world royalty included rappers Sean (P. Diddy) Combs, Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim and singer Busta Rhymes. Boxer Mike Tyson was also among the mourners.

Ten pallbearers carried the 800-pound silver-plated coffin into the church, as hundreds of fans lined adjacent city streets.

Mourners filed out of the church after the hour-long service singing one of Aaliyah's songs, "One in a Million."

At the end of the mass, 22 doves were released into the sky, to symbolize each year life of the Brooklyn-born singer.

Aaliyah was buried in Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum in Hartsdale, a suburb of New York City.

The Grammy-nominated singer recorded soundtracks for the movies "Dr Dolittle" and "Romeo Must Die." Her most recent album, her first in five years, was released just a few weeks before her death.

Police said the singer's twin engine Cessna 402B caught fire and exploded late Saturday after taking off from the Bahamas, where she had traveled to to film her latest music video.

US and Bahamian authorities investigating the crash have said the pilot was not authorised to fly the aircraft, and that the plane might have been overloaded.

August 30th 2001

Daily Telegraph  (Aaliyah talks about QOTD in an interview done last month)



30aug01
On Sunday, actress and R&B star Aaliyah was killed in a light-plane crash in the Bahamas. In one of her last interviews last month with Cameron Adams, she discussed her new album and close links with Australia

Not too many million-selling American singers and film stars could reel off a list of Melbourne's less-trendy suburbs.

However, US star Aaliyah spent a lot of time in the city's not-so-wild west when filming Queen Of The Damned last year, in which she played the lead role of vampire queen Akasha.

"An old Nestle factory in St Albans was turned into the production area where a lot of the sets were built," Aaliyah said.

"And there's a concert scene that was filmed in a quarry in Werribee. I remember that it was freezing and my costumes were kinda sparse. I really loved Melbourne. We went to a few clubs, did a lot of shopping [and] I had the chance to get a good look around."

Born Aaliyah Haughton 22 years ago (her name means "highest, most exalted one" in Swahili), the singer scored a US No.1 hit in 1994 with Back And Forth.

A string of other hits, including Are You That Somebody? from Dr Dolittle, followed before the singer moved into films with a successful role in

Romeo Must Die alongside Jet Li and rapper DMX.

"I have dual careers now," Aaliyah said. "I always wanted to be an actor. I don't write my songs, I interpret other people's words, which is why acting came so easily to me. That's what I'd been doing in my music career."

So after spending months here filming Queen Of The Damned, work on her third, self-titled, album (already delayed after 1996's One In A Million) had to go on hold for her acting career – at least until her band of up-and-coming producers were flown out for two months. They holed up in Richmond's Sing Sing studios, famous for being Powderfinger's studio of choice.

"We loved it there," Aaliyah said. "We're talking about coming back, actually, to work some more. Not only was the studio great but the environment in Australia was just so cool, very laid-back.

"It was such a cool break from America. We got the chance to dig deep and create. We could focus in that environment. I wanted everyone to challenge themselves and come up with something new and refreshing. I always want my music to be cutting edge and brand new and we were able to do that with no problem in Australia – and have fun at the same time."

The singer, who had been producing hits since she was 14, said Melbourne was a heavy influence on the album's sound. Retreating from the competitive US R&B scene, Aaliyah was recording the album while her innovative single Try Again (from the Romeo Must Die soundtrack) was a top 10 hit in Australia and became another No.1 in the US.

Famous photographer David LaChappelle was even flown into Australia to snap the album cover. It was one of the few times Aaliyah had worked with a big name.

Her usual producer, Timbaland, helped define a new sound for R&B on One In A Million. Its double and triple beats are still being mimicked to this day.

When Timbaland and Missy Elliott, couldn't come to Australia, Aaliyah called on youngblood producers from her family-run Blackground Records to produce the bulk of the album. "I like working with new producers, they're hungry and they'll try new things," Aaliyah said. "I try not to be too concerned with what's going on in the music world. I want to stay true to myself and not worry whether it's going to be huge. I know fans have a lot to choose from, but this is something brand new.

"Try Again was something new and something a little weird, which is what I like. Timbaland and I like working together because we'll go to the left, we'll risk doing something crazy and when something like that works, there's a real sense of accomplishment.

"This is an album I have to live with for the rest of my life, the videos I make I have to see and deal with for the rest of my life. If you do what's safe, what's the fun? Take a risk. If you fail at least you did it, not something someone told you to do."

The sinister sound on tracks like the new single We Need A Resolution was no accident. "My producers know I love dark-sounding, mysterious tracks. I perform best on that kind of track."

Indeed, it was that attraction to the dark side that lured Aaliyah to accept the role in Queen Of The Damned.

"Doing the film and the album at the same time was obviously double the workload," she said. "We'd shoot during the day, go to the recording studio at night, sometimes the other way around for the night shoots. It was a bit trying, but it was a really challenging role."

Also starring Stuart Townsend, Lena Olin, Vincent Perez and local actors Pia Miranda and Matthew Newton, Queen Of The Damned was shot in and around Melbourne at Montsalvat, Eltham, Parliament Station, Storey Hall, Portsea and Sorrento. The film, due for release on March 28 next year, combines the Anne Rice books, The Vampire Lestat and Queen Of The Damned.

Korn's Jonathan Davis has scored the movie with gothic-inspired rock. "The whole film is rock inspired," Aaliyah said. "The music is amazing, mindblowing. I might actually be singing on it."

In Hollywood-speak, Aaliyah was "attached" to several other movies (she was to play a character named Zee in the Matrix sequels). "I'm opening my arms wide to any offers at this point. Bring them on."

Aaliyah is out now.

 

Tributes flow in for Aaliyah
27 AUG 2001
News Interactive


TRIBUTES flowed in today for R&B singer and actor Aaliyah who was killed in a plane crash over the weekend.

Warner Bros. Pictures said in a statement: "Warner Bros. Pictures joins family and friends of Aaliyah in mourning the loss of this extraordinary young woman who was the victim of a plane crash Saturday evening. "Upon making her feature film acting debut last year in "Romeo Must Die", Aaliyah became part of the Warner Bros. family. Following her impressive debut, Aaliyah was signed to star in three more films for the Studio: "Queen of the Damned" and the second and third installments of "The Matrix" franchise. "Warner Bros. Pictures' President of Worldwide Production, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, said, "Aaliyah was one of the finest young women I have ever worked with. 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 Bros. and we extend our heartfelt sympathy to her family and to those who loved her as we did."

Virgin Records said in a staement: "The worldwide Virgin family is devastated by the news of this terrible and tragic accident and our hearts and thoughts go out to all those families who lost loved ones.

"Aaliyah, one of the world's brightest and most talented stars, will be mourned by all who loved her and loved her music. Her depth and versatility as an artist was matched by the passion and devotion she had for her craft.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Virgin staff member Doug Kratz. Doug was an extremely dedicated and talented professional, whose enthusiasm, energy and spirit will be missed by everyone who worked alongside him everyday."

Aaliyah's family released a statement: "Aaliyah's family is devastated at the lost of their loving daughter & sister. Their hearts go out to those families who also lost their loved ones in this tragic accident."

While record label Blackground Records said in a statement: "Blackground is devastated with the loss of our Queen. The example she showed young people will be sorely missed and we hope her short time on earth will be an inspiration to young people all over the world.

"We are equally distraught by the passing of our Blackground family members Gina Smith and Keith Wallace. Their hard work and dedication were an invaluable contribution to the success of Aaliyah and Blackground. Our prayers go out to all the families.

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