Aaliyah Will Be The Subject Of ABC News Special "Superstar"

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Aaliyah
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 5: American R&B singer Aaliyah, aka Aaliyah Dana Houghton (1979-2001) poses for a photo backstage at Madison Square Garden for Lifebeat's Urban Aid benefit concert on October 5, 1995 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Catherine McGann/Getty Images)
There's an upcoming special on the influential R&B legend.

It's been over 20 years since R&B icon Aaliyah tragically passed away at the age of 22. Her short life and the tragic plane crash that ended it have been subject to public fascination for years and now there's an hour-long celebration celebrating her life coming to ABC. The special which is titled Superstar: Aaliyah seeks to assess the impact she had on the worlds of R&B and fashion with her distinct style.

Another thing the documentary is expected to cover is Aaliyah's notorious marriage to R. Kelly. The pair's alleged marriage has been the subject of rumors for decades. They both initially denied that Aaliyah had forged paperwork and listed herself as 18 instead of 15 so the process would be legal. Years later during the Surviving R. Kelly documentary, it came to light that a former tour manager had helped the pair falsify documents after Aaliyah revealed she was pregnant. The episode will feature her former boyfriend Damon Dash as well as will.i.am Justine Skye, Karl Kani, and more. It will air on ABC Wednesday, June 14th, and be available to stream on Hulu the next day. You can watch the trailer for it here.

Aaliyah's Superstar Moment

Previous episodes of the Superstar series have documented the legacies of other deceased stars. Richard Pryor, Kobe Bryant, and Whitney Houston are all among those who have had their own editions of the special. Aaliyah's debut album Age Ain't Nothing But A Number just had its 29th anniversary. Fans continue to stream her music and new artists continue to cite her as a major influence to this day. Earlier this year fans petitioned the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame to honor Aaliyah as an inductee, though she wasn't nominated.

Fans also celebrated what would have been Aaliyah's 44th birthday earlier this year. Many friends of Aaliyah and those influenced by her work also shared messages for the late singer. Friend and collaborator Missy Elliot sent out a heartfelt tweet commemorating the day back in January. Are you excited about the upcoming ABC News special highlighting Aaliyah's legacy? Let us know in the comment section below.

About The Author
Lavender Alexandria
Lavender Alexandria is a music and culture journalist based in Los Angeles, California. She’s covered dozens of musical genres and styles from the most mainstream to the most experimental and underground on her blog and accompanying YouTube channel that looks at music, pop culture, and Billboard charts since 2017: Lav’s Music Corner. Lavender has produced editorial and listicle content both in written and video form over the past far years and has also interviewed up-and-coming artists like Censored Dialogue. Her experiences covering culture have taken her from Hyperpop parties in LA to underground rap shows in Atlanta, to DIY punk shows in Charlotte. Lavender has also written for iHeartRadio, covering some of the biggest artists in Hip Hop such as Ice Spice, Drake, Doja Cat and Cardi B. She also has bylines with ScreenRant and continues to write for Ringtone magazine. Lavender is a lifelong Charlotte Hornets fan and her favorite rap artists include Clipping, Little Simz, Earl Sweatshirt, and Kendrick Lamar.
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