Happy Birthday Aaliyah!

Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born January 16, 1979. She was and still is one of the greatest R&B artists of her time. She could dance like no other, and still have the vocals to make you feel what she was singing. Whether it was a chill mode song like "Back and Forth" or a true love song like "I Care For You", Aaliyah had a jam that fit any mood you were in.

Aaliyah's life was cut short August 25, 2001 when an airplane her crew was in crashed, killing eight other people on the plane. The pilot had cocaine and alcohol in his system, but it being a private plane, who would have thought to check him right? It's such a tragic event that changed the music world. Celebrity friends and even those who didn't know Aaliyah personally were affected by this loss.

Though she is not here with us in physical form, Aaliyah's aura and spirit still lives on. Whenever you play an Aaliyah song, people are taken back to the time when the song was released. We celebrate her music not in sadness, but in happiness, because Aaliyah was such a happy spirited person. Aaliyah lives through not just her music, but her movies as well.

The Lord took Aaliyah at that time for a reason, just as how a few weeks later September 11 happened. We always feel that there are wrongful deaths, but in my opinion, because I am a religious person, I feel God had these tragic things happen to wake us up. We are so focused on our jobs and day to day struggles that we don't stop and think how blessed we are. These tragedies make us stop and remember that we need each other and we should help each other.

I refuse to let Aaliyah's death, as well as the other tragic deaths that have happened be in vain. We should all realize that our lives can be cut off at any moment. The question is, have you lived your life to the fullest? Yes, we should all look forward to the future, but on that road, don't forget to do some things you love and things for yourself, otherwise your life isn't really being lived fully.

RIP Aaliyah, you will always be missed baby girl.

Here's some of her greatest hit songs/videos.

"Back & Forth" ft. R. Kelly

"At Your Best"(Original Recording)

"At Your Best" Remix

"Age Ain't Nothin But A Number"

"Down With The Clique"

"No One Knows How To Love Me Quite Like You"

"The Thing I Like"

"If Your Girl Only Knew"

"One In A Million"

"Got To Give It Up" ft. Slick Rick

"4 Page Letter"

"Hot Like Fire" ft. Timbaland and Missy Elliot

"The One I Gave My Heart To"

"Are You That Somebody"

"Journey To The Past"

"Try Again"

"Back In One Piece" ft. DMX

"I Don't Wanna"

"We Need A Resolution"

"Rock The Boat"

"More Than A Woman"

"I Refuse"

"I Care 4 U"

"Come Over"

"Don't Know What To Tell Ya"

"I Miss You"

"Up Jumps Da' Boogie": Timbaland & Magoo ft. Aaliyah & Missy Elliot

"I Need You Tonight" Junior M.A.F.I.A. ft. Aaliyah and Lil Kim

"Freedom" All Stars

"I'm Living A Dream" Aaliyah's Career

Enjoy the videos. I know not all of them are official videos, but they are the best I could find. What was your favorite Aaliyah song,  single or even just on the album?

Sarah Jane R.