Aaliyah had been building her career since the age of 6 when she appeared in a stage production of "Annie". She went on to perform in Las Vegas at the age of 11, release her first album, "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number", at the age of 14, have a double platinum single, "If Your Girl Only Knew", at 16, and earn a Grammy nomination for best R&B singer when she was 21. She was a favorite of the legendary producer Quincy Jones, who is reported to be, "absolutely devastated", by her death. Aaliyah was part of a close family; her father Michael and her mother Diane were her managers, and her brother Rashad co-wrote many of her songs. As of press time, her family had not yet released a statement.

Aaliyah has been a fixture on the R&B charts since her first album debuted in 1994. She successfully branched out into film with the Juliette-like role of Trish O'Day in the Jet Li movie "Romeo Must Die". Aaliyah had just released a third self-titled album and was set to star in the next two installments of the mega-hit movie "The Matrix" with Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburn and Jada Pinkett-Smith. Fans who were looking forward to seeing more of the star in the months and years to come, are instead dealing with her sudden, tragic, death.

For more help with grief please see:
For Immediate Help Coping

For more on the story of Aaliyah's death please see:
Teen Music Coverage: Aaliyah Dead In Plane Crash

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