As the18th anniversary of her death approaches,Aaliyahis being memorialized with a wax figure at Madame Tussauds. The late singer’s brother Rashad Haughton was on hand Wednesday as the likeness was unveiled in Las Vegas.
Clad in leather pants and metallic bra, the figure is a nod to Aaliyah’s iconic “Try Again” music video from 2000.
In an interview withVibe, Haughton revealed that he played a major role in the figure’s creation and design.
“I was involved in the process from the inception of the project,” he told the outlet. “The team at Madame Tussauds welcomed a collaborative effort in choosing the pose and look of my sister’s figure. They made sure my mother and I were comfortable and supported through an amazing but understandably emotional process.”
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Haughton released a poem dedicated to his late sister on what would have been her40th birthday back in January.
“The many were once as one/By way of mind and tongue/ Hands intertwined/Reached out for heaven/Atop a thing that was built.”
“When it fell upon itself/The words descended/Upon cold earth and became brittle, colorless and crumbled beneath our feet.”
“Now, a cypher of memories/ Unlock a chamber; Not of brick and mortar/But of glass and copper — Smooth and colt to touch.”
“Hallow voices ripple upstream/Yearning to rejoin the sea cry/ Universe, sacred womb/A truth revealed/Is a song set free/Gentle whisper of wind/Sow these seeds for me.”
Aaliyahdied at the age of 22on Aug. 25, 2001. The New York-born songstress — along with seven others — were killed when a small, twin-engine Cessna bound for Miami crashed into a swamp shortly after takeoff in the Bahamas.
Aaliyah had gone to the destination to shoot her music video for “Rock the Boat,” a track off of her self-titled third album, her final LP released during her lifetime.
She released her second albumOne in a Millionin 1996. It wascertified double platinumon June 16, 1997.
Her final albumAaliyahsold over 2.4 million copies worldwide and scored a Grammy nomination for best R&B album in 2002.
source: people.com
