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The 2001 Essence Awards

Source: Ron Galella, Ltd. / Getty

It’s mind blowing that the late, great Aaliyah would be turning 41 years old today. Baby Girl may have lived a short life, but fortunately for us, we got to see her shine like the star that she is.

Aaliyah was living the good life at 22 years old; engaged to Dame Dash, finishing up her self titled third album, and making her mark on the film industry after starring in Romeo Must Die and Queen Of The Damned before tragedy struck. Almost 20 years after she got her wings, her vibrant legacy continues to live on. Everyone from Drake to J. Cole has sampled an Aaliyah track and paid homage to her every chance they get.

“Every Time I saw Aaliyah, she was happy. She had that prescenece that few people have.”- Beyonce

“She was one of the best people I’ve ever met. Even with the pain i felt, I would do it all over again.”

“Aaliyah has had probably the most impact on my career, because when I made a choice to start singing it was because of something that my father had told me which was, ‘There’s no rapper out there that sings and raps and does both things well… and in order to be successful you’re gonna need something other than just what everyone else is doing.”- Drake

In honor of Aaliyah’s life taken too soon, we put together a gallery of facts that you probably didn’t know about the fallen star. Check it out below. Rest in peace, Baby Girl.

Baby Girl: 20 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Aaliyah  was originally published on globalgrind.com