Fans have been celebrating the life and legacy of Aaliyah today (August 25), the 20th anniversary of her death. On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and her team were leaving the Bahamas after filming the music video to her hit single "Rock the Boat," and not long after the charter plane took off, it crash-landed. Nine people would lose their lives on that flight, including a hairstylist, a record executive, and a publicist. The pilot was also reportedly found to be under the influence and the tragedy has been one that has continued to reverberate throughout the industry for two decades.
Tributes have been pouring into social media as fans and friends of the late singer honor her with photos and memories. Aaliyah's One in a Million album was recently released on streaming platforms and topped the charts almost immediately, and we can only imagine how many plays those tracks are receiving today.
Aaliyah's close friend and repeated collaborator Missy Elliott never fails to show love to the singer on special occasions such as this. On Twitter, Missy shared a photo of Aaliyah and wrote, "Babygirl All these years your IMPACT is still felt & your INFLUENCE is seen EVERYWHERE! So many are still CAPTIVATED by your SOUND & STYLE! It’s BEAUTIFUL to see a new generation become fans of your ART & love YOUR HEART! We Love you [purple heart emoji][dove emoji] & May your spirit live on 4EVER [praying hands emoji]."
On Instagram, Aaliyah's estate promised that "something is coming," and the announcement revealed that the singer's MTV Diary would be released soon. Following her death, Aaliyah's loved ones joined together in the music video for "Miss You," the singer's posthumous single. You can revisit that touching visual, with an introduction from the late DMX, below.
