TWENTY years ago today, a horrifying plane crash took beloved R&B singer Aaliyah's life.
Aaliyah tragically died on August 25, 2001, at the age of 22, alongside eight others when a Miami-bound chartered plane crashed less than one minute after taking off in the Bahamas.
5
5
5
5
Leading up to the star's death anniversary, her 1996 album, "One In A Million," was put on streaming platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music, on August 20.
The rest of her music is expected to drop on all streaming services later this month.
And her estate released a statement on August 4, saying that "protecting Aaliyah’s legacy is, and will always be, our focus."
"Now, in this 20th year, this unscrupulous endeavor to release Aaliyah’s music without any transparency or full accounting to the estate compels our hearts to express a word - forgiveness," the estate said.
What happened to Aaliyah during the crash?
Aaliyah suffering severe burns and a fatal blow to the head when the Cessna 402 twin-engine light aircraftslammed to the ground just moments after takeoff.
Her body — which was still buckled into her seat and slumped over to her left — was discovered20 feet away from the wreckage.
Speaking at a coroner's inquest hearing in November 2001, Dr. Giovander Raju said Aaliyah's chances of survival were slim to none.
He noted that the singer also suffered from "a generally weak heart."
"Aaliyah went into such a state of shock, even if she had survived the crash, recovery would have been near impossible," Raju explained.
Most read in The US Sun
BUTCHER DEAD Iranian president dies in helicopter crash as Israel says 'it wasn't us'
'LIFE AT RISK' Chilling footage shows Iran's president in helicopter moments before crash
CHANGE UP Target shopper 'scolded' by staff for using self-checkout after store change
What went wrong on the day of Aaliyah's death?
The plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Marsh Harbour Airport on the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas — where Aaliyah's entourage had been filming her music video, Rock The Boat.
Aaliyah and her team boarded the plane after they completed filming a music video and had chartered the flight to return to Florida.
An investigation concluded that the aircraft had attempted to take off while heavily overloaded — the eight passengers exceeded its certified maximum of seven.
The vessel, which was carrying heavy camera equipment — was around 700 pounds overweight and the weight wasn't distributed properly.
It also emerged that the pilot did not have the required qualifications to fly the aircraft type involved and had falsified relevant documents to obtain his pilot license.
The pilot also had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his body, it was later revealed.
What did Aaliyah do before getting on the plane?
Earlier this month, a bombshell excerpt from Kathy Iandoli's upcoming book,Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah, revealed that Aaliah was reportedly hesitant to board the plane.
Initial reports from the time suggested she had been insistent that she needed to be back in Miami later that evening.
However, a man who was one of the last people to see her alive said she actually refused to get on board.
Aaliyah, a known anxious flier, reportedly knew the size of her seven-person entourage and all of their luggage would be too much for the small jet to bear.
She was reportedly fearful of small planes and had been expected a much larger aircraft to arrive.
The claimwas made by Kingsley Russell,a Bahamian man who was 13 at the time and working as the star's baggage handler for his family's taxi and hospitality business.
Russell's mother was Aaliyah’s driver during her time on the island and he told Iandoli he spoke with the star on their way to the airport, as first reported byThe Daily Beast.
The plane was late arriving at the gate by two hours, reportedly rattling Aaliyah's team, Russell said.
Did what was Aaliyah given before getting on the plane?
As a member of Aaliyah's group urged her to get on the flight, Russell says the singer reiterated that she didn't want to and wasn't feeling her best.
The team member then handed Aaliyah a pill, Russel claims, which she took before falling "into a deep sleep."
Aaliyah was allegedly still sleeping when the pilot finally caved and allowed her and her team to board the flight back to Florida.
“They took her out of the van; she didn’t even know she was getting boarded on a plane,” Russellrecounts in the book. "She went on the airplane asleep.”
Did Aaliyah predict her death?
In one of the lastinterviews Aaliyah gave before the fatal plane crash, the singer opened up to German media about a recurring dream she'd been having at the time.
The pop sensation, one of the mostcoveted performers of her era, told her interviewer that in the dream she was being followed by someone, which made her feel scared and anxious.
But the dream would conclude with her suddenly flying away from them and feeling at peace.
“It is dark in my favorite dream," she began. "Someone is following me. I don't know why. I'm scared. Then suddenly I lift off. Far away."
Aaliyah continued: "How do I feel? As if I am swimming in the air. Free. Weightless.
"Nobody can reach me. Nobody can touch me. It's a wonderful feeling."
While the dream could symbolize a variety of things, some of Aaliyah's fans have suggested it was actually a subconscious premonition of the deadly crash.
Who else died in the plane crash?
The crash killed the pilot and all eight passengers on board.
Along with Aaliyah, those killed were members of her entourage, including her hairdresser, her bodyguard, and a record executive.
The other passenger, a security guard, died shortly afterward and, according to paramedics, spent his last moments worrying about Aaliyah's condition.
One witness told investigators: "It was an awful sight. Some bodies were so badly disfigured, you couldn't identify them.
"And two guys were alive — one screaming and screaming for help. He was horribly burned all over."
A pilot who witnessed the crash saw the Cessna go down as he was working on some machinery "about half a mile" away.
He told investigators that the aircraft was only "60 to 100 feet" off the ground before it crashed.
Read More on The US Sun
He went to get a fire truck and was stunned by what he saw upon arriving at the crash site, and said: "It was pretty devastating.
"The aircraft was broken into pieces and some of the seats were thrown from the aircraft."
5
Music video for Aaliyah's classic hit Rock The Boat
