Source: Tim Mosenfelder / Getty
An author has some shocking claims about the circumstances around the plane crash that took Aaliyah’s life in 2001. In a new book titled Baby Girl: Better Known As Aaliyah, author Kathy Iandoli claimed that the “One In A Million” singer was drugged the day of her death.
Iandoli told The Daily Beast that after being contacted by one of Aaliyah’s superfans who urged her to talk to a man named Kingsley Russell from the Abaco Islands, she found out that Aaliyah didn’t get on that plane willingly. Russell now owns his own hospitality business on the island but when he was 13 in 2001, his family was serving as Aaliyah’s transportation and helping her find locations to film for the “Rock the Boat” video. Russell told Iandoli that when Aaliyah’s team was boarding the plane to leave that he witnessed someone carry Aaliyah, who was sleeping, onto the plane after she had been adamant about not boarding it.
He said that the small plane was two hours late to the island and when it arrived, Aaliyah did not want to board it and complained of a headache. Her team continued to argue with the pilot, who told them the plane would be overweight and it wasn’t a good idea to board and fly back to Miami. He said she then climbed into a van and told her team she was going to take a nap. Russell said he witnessed someone get into the van and give Aaliyah a pill. She fell into a deep sleep and after the pilot obliged, she was carried onto the plane. Aaliyah and eight others died in the crash on August 25, 2001.
“They took her out of the van; she didn’t even know she was getting boarded on a plane,” Russell. “She went on the airplane asleep.”
Iandoli said uncovering these details gave her an “unfortunate closure” about the singer’s death.
“The only thing I’ve taken with me is that after 20 years, I can finally say that Aaliyah didn’t want to get on the plane,” she told The Daily Beast. “That makes me feel a little better, but not much. This didn’t have to happen. She should still be here, and I think that’s the saddest part about it.”
Baby Girl: Better Known As Aaliyah will be released August 17.
