Aaliyah's tragic death and 'marriage' to R Kelly when she was just 15

The late Aaliyah and R. Kelly.

Aaliyah was at the height of her fame when she was killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas at the age of 22. The singer/actress, who would have celebrated her 42nd birthday this week, perished in a tragic accident that claimed the lives of nine people back in 2001. Her death came seven years after she married her music mentor R Kelly when she was 15 and he was 27.

After starting her showbiz career at the age of 10 on US TV talent show Star Search, Aaliyah signed a record deal at 12 and recorded her first album at 14. Kelly, now 52, was one of the most famous singers in the world in the 1990s and he took the young star under his wing.