R&B singer Aaliyah, seven others die in plane crash

MARSH HARBOUR, Bahamas — R&B singer and actress Aaliyah died last night when a small plane that was to carry her and eight others back to the United States crashed after takeoff on Abaco Island in the Bahamas, authorities said.

Aaliyah's song "Try Again" earned her a Grammy nomination for best female R&B vocalist. She made her feature acting debut in the 2000 film "Romeo Must Die" and was the female lead in the yet-to-be-released "Queen of the Dammed."

Aaliyah, born Aaliyah Dana Houghton in Brooklyn, N.Y., was 22. She was raised in Detroit.

Eight people were killed in the crash, and one critically injured man was flown to Florida for treatment, officials said.

Aaliyah had been on Abaco Island to shoot her latest video.

The private plane was leaving the Marsh Harbour airport on a trip to Opa-locka, Fla. when it went down at 6:50 p.m. at the end of the runway, said police spokesman Marvin Dames.

Bahamian national television quoted the civil-aviation department as saying nine Americans were on board. Abaco Island Chief Councilor Silbert Mills said those killed included two women and six men.

Islander Derek Russell, who worked for the group during the video shoot, said he got the artist's autograph. "She's a nice girl, a friendly girl," he said.

The cause of the crash was unclear. Kathleen Bergen, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration in Atlanta, said the plane was a Cessna 402 owned by Skystream, a company based in Pembroke Pines, Fla.