If you’re old enough to remember and appreciate what Aaliyah meant to the culture in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, then you probably remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when the world found out that we lost Aaliyah Dana Haughton, on this day in 2001...

Aaliyah hadn’t fully reached her full superstar potential when she met her untimely death. She had just completed her third studio album, the self titled, “Aaliyah”, which earned Grammy nods posthumously. Also, her biggest role in a feature film, as “Queen Akasha” in Queen of the Damned" was set to premiere the following year. This was on the heels of her film debut as “Trish O’Day” in “Romeo Must Die” alongside Jet Li, which debuted at #2 in the U.S. box office rankings.

She was returning from the Bahamas after filming the video for her single, Rock The Boat. That’s when her plane, a twin-engine Cessna 402-B, soon after takeoff, crashed in the Marsh Harbor, Abaco Islands, in the Bahamas.

According to reports, the plane was overloaded and the pilot wasn’t even supposed to be flying after after receiving probation for possession of crack-cocaine, which was later found to be present in his system during the autopsy. She perished along with eight others on the flight.

Today, we remember Aaliyah and the impact she had on the culture, including the many artists she influenced that came after her. Her smooth, soft, almost whispery tone defined a generation. She would be 46 years old today, but she’ll forever be 22 in our memories.