Singer Aaliyah was branching out into movies

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The late actress and R&B singer Aaliyah was riding a wave of success this year with the release of her third album, a Grammy nomination and plans to appear in two sequels to the high-tech thriller "The Matrix."

The 22-year-old singer died Saturday when a small plane crashed following takeoff in the Bahamas. She was returning to the United States after filming a music video in the Caribbean.

Aaliyah (pronounced ah-lee-yah) made her feature acting debut in last year's "Romeo Must Die" opposite Chinese martial arts legend Jet Li. She recently starred in the title role of the latest Anne Rice vampire thriller, "The Queen of the Damned."

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Her latest album, "Aaliyah," featured regular Aaliyah contributors Timbaland and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott. She took on the issue of domestic violence in the slow tune "Never No More" and experimented with jazz rhythms in "I Care 4 U." The album was a top seller this month, according to industry sources.

Aaliyah's song "Try Again," a big hit from the "Romeo Must Die" soundtrack, earned her a Grammy nomination this year for best female R&B vocalist. She also received a Grammy nomination in 1999 for best female R&B vocal performance for "Are You That Somebody?" from the "Dr. Doolittle" soundtrack.

Quincy Jones, the Grammy-winning producer, arranger and composer, said he was devastated by news of her death.

"She was like one of my daughters; she was one of the sweetest girls in the world," Jones said. "She vacationed with me and my family together in Fiji. I loved her and respected her, and I am absolutely devastated."

Born Aaliyah Haughton in Brooklyn, New York, she made her stage debut as an orphan in a production of "Annie" at age 6. Her uncle was married to soul singer Gladys Knight, who invited Aaliyah to perform with her during a five-night stint in Las Vegas at age 11.

Aaliyah studied at Detroit High School for Fine and Performing Arts in Michigan and struck a licensing deal as a teen-ager after her uncle, Barry Hankerson, formed Blackground Records.

She went gold with her debut album, "Age Ain't Nothing But Number," when she was just 14 in 1994. She benefited from working closely with hip-hop producer R. Kelly.

In 1996, she released her second album, and the single "If Your Girl Only Knew" went double platinum.