Remember Aaliyah As She Turns 31 Today... [Megan Good To Play Aaliyah In Movie]

Sometimes, when you see Beyonce, hear Alicia Keys, or notice some new pop-soul singer on the radio, TV or the Web, Aaliyah may have been on that list, but was just gone way too soon.

Today, Jan. 16, would have been her 31st birthday.

Born in Brooklyn, and raised in Detroit, Aaliyah Dana Haughton was one of the most innovative hip-hop soul singers of the last decade. She released her debut album, “Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number” (1994), at the age of 14. Her follow-ups, “One in a Million” (1996), and “Aaliyah” (2001), were both influential and best-selling, fracturing the sound of traditional R&B.

While other soul stars belted out songs and looked to raise the roof, Aaliyah stayed in the groove, working with collaborators R. Kelly (who she reportedly had a relationship with) , Timbaland, and Missy Elliott, to create beat-driven music with unusual but gripping rhythms, subtle vocals, and dangerously glamorous videos. She cut a mysterious figure in an overexposed field, keeping her private life private, and sweeping her dark hair over one eye like Veronica Lake.

Reports surfaced that he married the then-teenaged Aaliyah; Kelly and Aaliyah annulled their marriage.

Soon after the release of her third, self-titled album, however, and just as she was securing a side career as a movie actress, Aaliyah’s career was cut short in a plane crash in 2001. She was 22 years old.

The story is Aaliyah was out filming a music video - she wanted to leave the island early but the only plane available was a smaller propeller plane - which they told her would not be able to accomodate her entire crew plus luggage. They went ahead and did it anyway and the plane crashed and she died. Very sad.....

On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were killed in an airplane crash in The Bahamas after filming the music video for the single "Rock the Boat". The pilot, Luis Morales III, was unlicensed at the time of the accident and had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system. Aaliyah's family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Blackhawk International Airways, which was settled out of court. Since then, Aaliyah has achieved commercial success with several posthumous releases. Selling over 24 million records worldwide, she has been credited for helping redefine R&B and hip hop and has been named the "Princess of R&B".

Actress Meagan Good recently graced the cover of Krave magazine. Meagan covers topics from roles that are available to African-American females in Hollywood to what a perfect role for her would look like. Meagan Good recently spoke about playing deceased singer Aaliyah in a movie, but for the rest of you:

“I would really like to do Aaliyah’s life story. I was and am a huge fan of hers and think in a way she was our princess Diana. She was very classy, beautiful and carried herself wish such respect for a young age. It would be a great story for young girls and a great example of believing in and respecting yourself. Another woman’s character I would like to play is Whitney Houston. I have so much respect for, for what she accomplished, what’s she’s been through and what she’s come out of. Creatively I think it would be amazing to go emotionally where she’s been and bring it to life."