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Today marks the 9th anniversary of the death of recording artist Aaliyah Dana Haughton. The singer died at 22 in a plane crash on August 25, 2001 after filming the video for her single “Rock The Boat” in the Bahamas.

We’ll always love and miss Aaliyah, here are just a few reasons why…

6. She Gave The “Girl Next Door” A Brown Face

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Detroit, Aaliyah so embodied the All-American girl that Tommy Hilfiger asked her to model for his ’90’s ad campaigns… Red, white and blue never looked so good!

4. Her Fun-Loving Spirit

Everything about this song, from the “baby cooing” sample Timbaland used, to the bounce in Aaliyah’s step in her video seemed to reflect her fun loving and youthful nature… Tell the truth, you tried to do this dance too!