Aaliyah Haughton's sudden death touched fans the world over, but for those who knew and loved her, the tragedy was almost unimaginably painful.

Although Aaliyah was only 22 years old when she was killed in a plane crash, the musicians and movie directors who remembered her almost unanimously noted her artistic maturity — both as a singer unafraid to push R&B's envelope and as an actress whose commitment to her craft belied her age.

She released only three albums and appeared onscreen in one film — she was set to follow her performance in 2000's "Romeo Must Die" with turns in "Queen of the Damned" and both sequels to "The Matrix" — but nearly everyone who worked with Aaliyah pegged her as a creative force on the ascent.

Blackground Records, which co-released Aaliyah's albums with Virgin Records, called her its "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," the label, owned by Aaliyah's uncle, Barry Hankerson, said. The label's statement also mourned two other victims of the crash, Gina Smith and Keith Wallace, who it said were members of the Blackground family.

Virgin Records, meanwhile, called Aaliyah "one of the world's brightest and most talented stars, [who] 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," Virgin added in a statement.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Warner Bros. Pictures' president of worldwide production, who met Aaliyah when she made her acting debut in last year's "Romeo Must Die," said her passing was "a huge loss."

"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," di Bonaventura said in a statement. "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."

"She was like blood, and I lost blood," producer Timbaland, whose collaborations with Aaliyah included the hits "Are You That Somebody?" and "We Need a Resolution," said in a phone call to "TRL." "Me and her together had this chemistry. I kinda lost half of my creativity to her. It's hard for me to talk to the fans right now. Beyond the music, she was a brilliant person, the [most special] person I ever met."

A visibly shaken P. Diddy, talked about his friendship with Aaliyah and mourned the death of an artist whose best work was yet to come. "She was one of those individuals that would light up a room," he said. "She always greeted you with a smile. Her time was coming; [she] was just about to explode."

He said Aaliyah's family was the closest he'd ever seen. Aaliyah is survived by her parents, Diane and Michael Haughton, and a brother, Rashad.

Other artists remembered the singer and actress as much for her personality as for her work.

DMX, who co-starred with Aaliyah in "Romeo Must Die" and dueted with her on "Come Back in One Piece" for the film's soundtrack album, characterized her as "talented, classy, warm, beautiful, compassionate [and] humble" in a statement issued Monday afternoon. Aaliyah was a "down-to-earth sister with enough energy to put anyone on a cloud," he said. "Let us pray."

"Words can't express what I'm feeling, she was family," Ginuwine said in a statement. "I will truly miss her."

"There are no words to express the loss of Aaliyah, whose unique talent was just beginning to blossom," Ernie Isley said in a statement. "The world will never get to see how her gift could have developed, and that is truly a loss." Aaliyah reworked the Isley Brothers' "Choosey Lover" for her 1996 album, One in a Million.

Michael Rymer, who directed Aaliyah in the title role of the upcoming "Queen of the Damned," remembered the star as a perfectionist and an exceptional young actress. "Aaliyah, who doesn't have an evil atom in her body, came off as this intensely sexual, sensuous, delightfully evil, naughty performer," he said. "It was a very tough role to pull off. ... I think she delivers.

"Of all the people I know, [she] had such a clear and pure spirit, such a clear idea of what she wanted. It's hard to imagine that being interrupted," added Rymer. Rymer said Aaliyah had planned to collaborate with Timbaland and Korn's Jonathan Davis for the film's soundtrack, but he wasn't sure if those plans came to fruition.

A Jive Records statement noted that R. Kelly, who produced Aaliyah's 1994 debut, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, was "deeply saddened by the tragic loss. His thoughts and prayers are with her family during their time of grief."

Aaliyah's "Romeo Must Die" co-star Jet Li issued a statement extending his condolences to Aaliyah's family and the family of Eric Foreman, a makeup artist who also died in the crash.

"I heard of the devastating news and am deeply saddened that she is no longer with us," Li said. "She was a wonderful and talented artist who will be missed by everyone whose lives she touched."

One music-industry veteran who worked with Aaliyah early on was struck by her motivation as a 12-year-old with a burning desire to break into the business. "It was clear she had all the gifts," said Hank Neuberger, executive vice president of Chicago Recording Company, where Aaliyah recorded much of Age Ain't Nothing. "She had a great voice, she was stunningly beautiful and she had a strong sense of what she could do at a very young age."

"Her depth and versatility as an artist was matched by the passion and devotion she had for her craft," Virgin Records said in a statement.

Fans responded to the tragedy with candlelight vigils and spontaneous memorials. In Detroit, a candlelight vigil was set outside the Detroit High School for Fine and Performing Arts. Aaliyah graduated from the school with a 4.0 GPA in 1997.

"We are devastated," said Stan Childress, Detroit Public Schools communications director and former student activities advisor at the high school.

"This tragedy has young people crying, hugging each other, expressing love for each other, saying things like, 'This has taught us how to value life, because you don't know what's going to happen,' " said Childress, who noted that Aaliyah had often given her time and advice to fellow students aspiring to enter the entertainment business. "She's an angel for this city."

Aaliyah's boyfriend, Roc-a-Fella co-CEO Damon Dash, said that losing her was heartbreaking.

"She was the best person I ever knew. ... I never met a person like her in my life," Dash said, his voice breaking with emotion. "Every day that we were together, we cherished. Every memory — every day was a special event, whether it was going to a store or going to a movie or just sitting in a house. Wherever we were was like our own little party, in our own little world."

The couple shared the ability to thrive in varying social settings — from Harlem to the Hamptons and beyond — as well as a certain sense of humor, Dash remembered.

"She was the only girl that got to hang out with my homeboys on the level of a homeboy," he said. "It was like being able to be with your homeboy and your girl at the same time. ... We just generally had a lot of fun together."

Dash said that although they were not formally engaged, he and Aaliyah had planned on getting married.

"We were definitely gonna be married. As soon as she had time, we were getting married — like after 'The Matrix,' " he said. "She was the one — she was definitely the one for me. It wasn't an official proposal, we had just talked about it, you know?"

Despite her fame, Aaliyah often traveled without security and delighted in such ordinary activities as grabbing some fast food, Dash said. "She would just carry herself like such a normal individual. We just would pop into McDonald's or Wendy's or something, and people just wouldn't believe [it]," he said.

Aaliyah's cousin, Jomo Hankerson, said Aaliyah had been a star well before the world knew her name.

"We always knew Aaliyah could be something special," he said. "She came out of the womb special."

"As a performer, she was one of the best I have ever seen do what she does," said Hype Williams, who directed the "Rock the Boat" video Aaliyah filmed in the Bahamas just before she died. Williams said working on the clip with her was like working with family.

Aaliyah, who collaborated with such names as Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Rodney Jerkins and Naughty by Nature's Treach, was no producer's puppet. When the 17-year-old went into the studio with Treach in 1996 to work on One in a Million, her second album, she clearly wanted an artistic partner.

"She was like my li'l sis," Treach said Monday. "She'd come up and put her arm next to me like, 'Listen, we gonna make this song together. I don't want you to do just one verse and it's over. We gonna do the hook together."

Jerkins, who worked with Aaliyah on "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" and a remix of "One in a Million," marveled at the singer's artistic growth between her 1996 effort and this summer's eponymous release, which found her examining the complexities of adult romance.

"She grew like crazy from the time I worked with her to the stuff she's doing now," Jerkins said. "She was trying to find herself before. But by the third album, she was more of a performer, she became more of an artist."

Jermaine Dupri, who also worked on One in a Million, characterized Aaliyah as a risk taker and groundbreaker with a sound unlike anyone else's.

"I think it was fly that she took chances on her music," Dupri said of the progression from her R. Kelly-produced debut to the Timbaland beats on her second album. "Just the softness of how she sang over them hard-ass beats, it was something different."

Aaliyah's unique sound and willingness to experiment won her fans outside the R&B and hip-hop genres. Korn leader Jonathan Davis penned several songs for a vampire rock band in "Queen of the Damned" and planned to remix one of them with Aaliyah and Timbaland. He said Aaliyah was unafraid to bring a hint of darkness to mainstream radio's otherwise sunny vistas.

"She does really great, different stuff that's dark," he said Monday. "She skirts the goth edge. There's something cool and mysterious about her. I dug that. Just a dark little girl singing some cool-ass sh--."

Aaliyah wasn't simply a pop star who took up acting as a lark. She brought her unconventional approach to her movie roles, too. Michael Rymer, who directed Aaliyah in the title role of "Queen of the Damned," said she brought a unique approach to the part of 5,000-year-old Akasha, transforming the character into something complex and terrifying.

"Aaliyah and I devised a plan in which she would be the oldest, most powerful creature in the world, but she would play it like a child, like a kitten playing with a mouse," Rymer said. "It could have been a complete joke and come off in an embarrassing way. We both knew we were taking a huge risk and that if we pulled it off, it would be much more exciting than if we approached it more conventionally. She was a young queen."

For "Matrix" producer Joel Silver, who also cast Aaliyah in "Romeo Must Die," her skill and talent were crystallized in a scene where she talks to Jet Li's character about the death of her character's brother. She had to break down in tears but refused to resort to such tricks as blowing menthol up her nose or putting fake tears on her cheeks.

"Aaliyah didn't want to do that. She reached down somewhere and found this place where she could be this incredible actress," Silver said, beginning to cry himself. "She was a fantastic girl."

Filmmakers and musicians alike applauded Aaliyah's professionalism. Rymer said she was a dream to work with, never becoming impatient even while suffering through hours of makeup and waiting in the cold to film a scene. Treach said he never heard a negative word about her from anyone.

"You hear certain things through the industry about who you can work with and who you can't," he said. "You heard nothing but good stuff about Aaliyah."

Beyond her musical vision and professionalism, Aaliyah possessed an undeniable star quality, a magnetism and aura that separate the great from the merely good.

"Some stars have a unique way of capturing their audience without saying a word," Williams said. "That comes from charisma, it comes from charm. A lot of it comes from someplace else. I can't really define it, but I'm always able to recognize it. She had that 'magic,' for lack of a better word."

Back To Memorial Tribute Page