Aaliyah Dead

Singer and star of The Matrix Reloaded, Aaliyah, was killed over the weekend (25 August) when the light aircraft she was travelling crashed in the Bahamas. The 22-year-old actress died along with seven others when the twin-engined Cessna went down 200 feet from the end of the runway en route to Florida. Aaliyah was returning to the States after filming her latest music video when the incident occurred. While experts were unable to directly explain the cause of the crash, initial findings indicated an engine failure was responsible. However, subsequent investigation has revealed that the plane may have been loaded beyond its capacity before takeoff. A local charter pilot stated that he had overheard a dispute between pilot and passengers over the weight of the plane. "With nine people and all the camera and sound equipment they were loading, the pilot kept saying there's too much weight," he recalled. "He tried to convince them the plane was overloaded, but they insisted they had chartered the plane and they had to be in Miami on Saturday night." Having built on a successful career as an R&B singer, Aaliyah made her movie debut opposite Jet Li in Romeo Must Die. Taking the titular role in upcoming Interview With The Vampire sequel Queen of The Damned, she then went on to land a much-coveted role in the Matrix sequels. Her character, Zee, was to be introduced in The Matrix Reloaded and expanded in The Matrix 3.