"Her passing was probably the hardest out of all the people we lost in the hip-hop world," said Mister Cee, a deejay at Hot 97 (WQHT-FM), who is hosting an hour-long tribute to the angelic-faced singer during his "Throwback at Noon" show today.
"I just want listeners to know we haven't forgotten her. It's keeping her spirit alive," the deejay said.Aaliyah was only 22 when she and eight others were killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas, where she had been shooting a video.The twin-engine plane was overloaded by 700 pounds when it went up in flames. Investigators also found cocaine and alcohol in the pilot's system.While her untimely death was mourned as an easily preventable tragedy, her farewell was a carefully planned extravaganza.
The star-studded funeral - marked by dozens of pink roses, white doves and over a thousand guests - attracted the likes of Sean (Diddy) Combs, Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim.A glass-paneled hearse drawn by two horses carried her body, housed in a silver-plated coffin, from the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home on the upper East Side to services at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola on Park Ave.Shortly before her death, Aaliyah was nominated for a Grammy award for her song "Try Again." She also appeared in the film "Romeo Must Die" and was a niece of iconic soul singer Gladys Knight.
Photo Credit: http://www.aaliyah-haughton.de/
