Associated Press

R&B singer and actress Aaliyah arrives at New York's Paris Theater in this Aug. 2 photo. Aaliyah died Saturday when a small plane that was to carry her and eight others back to the United States crashed after takeoff in the Bahamas, authorities said.

Monday August 27, 2001 |

R&B singer mourned by thousands

MARSH HARBOUR, Bahamas - Investigators waded through smoldering Bahamian swampland yesterday, carting off sand-covered luggage and hunting for an explanation for the plane crash that killed young R&B star Aaliyah and eight others.

The Cessna carrying Aaliyah and her party plummeted to earth in perfect weather Saturday afternoon soon after takeoff for Florida. A day later, investigators had few answers about what could have caused the crash. Police Superintendent Basil Rahming said only that one of the Cessna's engines "apparently failed."

Aaliyah, who at age 22 already had a Grammy nomination, a platinum album and several high-profile acting credits under her belt, was killed instantly. Five others on board also died at the scene, while three more died later of their injuries, Rahming said.

A native of New York City and resident of Detroit, Aaliyah had deep roots in the R&B

community. Saturday's crash left fans, friends and collaborators in mourning."

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

Aaliyah and the others in her party had come to the Bahamas to shoot a music video, authorities said. Their plane was bound for Opa-locka, Fla., in perfect weather when it went down on Abaco Island, roughly 200 feet from the end of the runway at Marsh Harbour airport.

Yesterday, the Cessna's nose section was lying about 20 yards from the rest of the battered fuselage, and luggage and pieces of the plane were scattered about, covered

in sand.

Abaco Island Chief Councilor Silbert Mills said he was at the airport 100 miles north of Nassau when the plane took off and then crashed. He said he helped rescue the injured.

"I pulled one from the aircraft, and he was screaming," Mills said. "He said he was in a lot of pain."

Rahming said the other passengers killed were Scott Gallian, 41; Keith Wallace, 49, of

Los Angeles; Douglas Kratz, 28, a representative for Virgin Records, and makeup artist

Eric Foreman, 29, both of Hollywood, Calif.; Gina Smith, 29, also of Hollywood; Anthony Dodd, 34, of Los Angeles; and Christopher Maldonado, 32, of New Jersey. The plane's pilot, identified only as L. Maradel, also died.

The bodies were being taken to a funeral home in Nassau, where they were to be kept

for relatives to help identify them, U.S. embassy spokesman Brian Bachman said.

Some were badly burned in the crash, authorities said.

Virgin Records offered to pay for the relatives to come, Bachman said. He said the

Caribbean country's government had not yet asked for the assistance of U.S. investigators, but still could do so.

The Cessna 402 was owned by Skystream, a company based in Pembroke Pines, Fla.,

said Kathleen Bergen, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration in

Atlanta. The company's telephone number was not listed, and company officials could

not immediately be reached for comment.

A spokeswoman for Wichita, Kan.-based Cessna, Marilyn Richwine, said she was not

aware of any safety problems with the twin-engine 402 model. The company has not

manufactured that model for about 12 to 15 years, she said.

Aaliyah was to begin shooting the video for "Rock The Boat" this month in Miami,

according to her Web site. It was not clear whether she filmed that video while in the

Bahamas.

Aaliyah's song "Try Again" earned her a Grammy nomination this year for best

female R&B vocalist. In 1996, she released her second album, and the single "If Your

Girl Only Knew" went double platinum.

Aaliyah made her feature acting debut in last year's film "Romeo Must Die" and was

signed on to appear in two sequels to the high-tech thriller "The Matrix."

She was born Aaliyah Haughton on Jan. 16, 1979, in Brooklyn. She made her stage

debut as an orphan in a production of "Annie" at the age of 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 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," in 1994 - when she was 15 - and benefitted from working closely with hip-hop artist R. Kelly.