What Was Aaliyah's Net Worth?
Aaliyah was an American singer and musician who had a net worth of $8 million at the time of her death in 2001. Tragically, Aaliyah's promising life was cut short after she was killed in a plane crash in August of 2001, just a month after the release of her final album, "Aaliyah." Posthumously, she has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.
Early Life
Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 16, 1979, but her family moved to Detroit, Michigan, when she was five years old. Enrolled in voice lessons at a young age by her mother, Aaliyah started performing at church choir, weddings, and charity events.
Aaliyah attended Gesu Elementary, a Catholic school, where she was cast in the play "Annie" in the first grade. This experience inspired her dream to become an entertainer. Her uncle, Barry Hankerson, an entertainment lawyer married to Gladys Knight at the time, introduced her to the entertainment world. Aaliyah traveled with Knight as a child and soon began working with a New York agent to audition for television programs and commercials. At ten, Aaliyah appeared on "Star Search," and by eleven, she made several concert appearances with Gladys Knight and auditioned for multiple record labels.
Music Career
Aaliyah was signed to "Blackground Records" at the age of twelve, a label owned by her uncle, Barry Hankerson. The label had a distribution deal with Jive Records.
She was introduced to producer and recording artist R. Kelly, who became her mentor, producer, and lead songwriter for her debut album, "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number." Aaliyah recorded the album when she was fourteen.
"Age Ain't Nothing but a Number" was released on May 24, 1994, and was certified Double Platinum in the US and Canada. The album sold 74,000 copies in its first week and reached number 24 on the Billboard 200 chart. The song "The Thing I Like" was featured in the 1994 film, "A Low Down Dirty Shame."
In 1996, Aaliyah left Jive Records and joined Atlantic Records. For her second studio album, "One in a Million," Aaliyah collaborated with record producers Missy Elliott and Timbaland. The album's single, "If Your Girl Only Knew," topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for two weeks.
On May 5, 1997, a lawsuit was filed against Aaliyah by the music publisher, Windswept Pacific, alleging that she had plagiarized the song "What You Won't Do for Love" by Bobby Caldwell on the single "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number."
The following year, Aaliyah featured on Timbaland & Magoo's debut single, "Up Jumps da Boogie."
(Photo by Chris Weeks/Liaison/Getty)
Acting Career
Aaliyah graduated from the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts in 1997. That same year, she landed a role on the television series "New York Undercover."
Her first feature film was the 1999 movie "Romeo Must Die," co-starring Jet Li. The film eventually grossed $91 million on a budget of $25 million.
Aaliyah contributed four songs to the film's soundtrack and served as an executive producer of the soundtrack. The song "Try Again" topped the Billboard Hot 100 and its music video won Best Video from a Film and Best Female Video at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, also earning her a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocalist.
Her next movie, "Queen of the Damned," grossed $45 million.
Acting Salaries
Aaliyah earned $1.5 million for her role in "Romeo Must Die" and $5 million for "Queen of the Damned."
Death
Aaliyah died in a plane crash on August 25, 2001, at the age of 22. She and eight others perished in the crash in the Bahamas. It was revealed that the pilot, Luis Morales III, had been convinced to take off despite the plane being overloaded. Further investigation uncovered that the pilot had falsified his FAA license and had alcohol and cocaine in his system.
Marriage Scandal
Controversy arose when a marriage certificate appeared to show that Aaliyah had illegally married R. Kelly on August 31, 1994, stating she was 18 when, in reality, she was only 15. The couple denied the marriage. The scandal was further explored in the 2019 documentary "Surviving R. Kelly," which revealed new details about allegations of sexual abuse against Kelly.
