Our beloved Aaliyah was killed in a plane crash on Saturday night along with eight others including our own Gina Smith, 29, of Blackground Records who lived in New Jersey, Eric Forman, 29, Keith Wallace, 49, Douglas Krantz, 28 of Virgin Records, Anthony Dodd, 32, all of Los Angeles, CA, Scott Gallin, 41, of Pompano Beach, FL, video producer, Christopher Maldonado, 34, of New York and the plane's pilot, identified only as L. Mareal.

The Cessna 402 was departing from the Marsh Harbour airport bound for Opa-locka, Florida, when it crashed shortly after takeoff at approximately 6:50pm, police say. The plane is said to have crashed approximately 200 feet from the end of the runway killing six people instantly. Three others died later due to their injuries.

Aaliyah had just completed filming of her video for "Rock The Boat", directed by Hype Williams, in which she took time off of her promotional tour to complete. The cause of the crash isn't known yet, but authorities suspect engine failure because the plane took off in good weather conditions. CNN is reporting that Gloria Knowles, who works for Abaco Air Ltd. at Marsh Harbor airport, said baggage handlers reported the plane was overloaded with suitcases, yet the plane was still allowed to depart at the insistence of the passengers.

It was only two weeks ago that Aaliyah completed filming of her "More Than A Woman" video and she was also scheduled to be a presenter at the 2001 MTV awards on Thursday, September 6th in New York City. Aaliyah had already completed the initial shooting for the Matrix II in Los Angeles last month and was scheduled to fly to Australia after the New Year to finish up principal photography for The Matrix II & III.

Our prayers go out to the families of all that were lost. They will be dearly missed.

The Haughton Family Statement:
Aaliyah's family is devastated at the loss of their loving daughter & sister. Their hearts go out to those families who also lost their loved ones in this tragic accident.

The Blackground Records 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.

The Virgin Records Statement:
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.