Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 - August 25, 2001), known professionally as Aaliyah, was an American singer, dancer, model and actress. Introduced to audiences by R&B singer R. Kelly, Aaliyah became famous during the mid-1990s with several hit records from the songwriting/production team of Missy Elliott & Timbaland and their associate Steve "Static" Garrett. Aaliyah soon joined Timbaland's R&B and hip hop collective, the Superfriends Clique.