Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York, to Diane and Michael “Miguel” Haughton, both warehouse workers. She had African-American ancestors. Her name is a feminine form of the Arabic word “Ali,” which means “highest, most exalted one, best.” Aaliyah loved her name, calling it “beautiful” and saying she was “very proud of it,” and she worked hard every day to live up to it. Aaliyah’s mother enrolled her in voice lessons when she was a child.

She began by singing at weddings, church choirs, and charity events. Aaliyah’s family relocated to Detroit, Michigan, when she was five years old, where she was raised alongside her older brother, Rashad. She went to Gesu Elementary School, where she was cast in the stage play Annie in first grade, which inspired her to become an entertainer.  Her father began working in the warehouse business in Detroit, one of his brother-in-law Barry Hankerson’s expanding interests. Her mother stayed at home with Aaliyah and her brother.

What was Aaliyah’s net worth at the time of death?

Aaliyah was an American singer and musician who died in 2001 with an estimated net worth of $8 million.