American Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 - August 25, 2001) was a rhythm and blues singer who diversified into acting before her death in a light plane crash in the Bahamas in 2001.
Her most well-known movie role was as the female lead in Romeo Must Die, a martial-arts movie also starring Jet Li and notable for its mainstream success despite featuring Chinese and African-American characters in the lead roles, and few white Americans.
Her album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number was released when she was 15.
She was to appear in the sequels to The Matrix before her death. Her last role was Queen Akasha, The Queen of the Damned, in 2002.