Aaliyah's Final Texts Before The Plane Crash That Killed Her Will Absolutely Break Your Heart 💔✈️

Twenty-five years later and we're STILL not over losing Aaliyah — and honestly? We never will be.

On the anniversary of the R&B legend's death, her ex-boyfriend Damon "Dame" Dash has opened up about the Princess of R&B's final text messages to him before boarding the doomed flight that would tragically take her life. And warning: you're not ready for this.

"I Don't Like The Plane"

"She texted me saying, 'I don't like the plane.' I told her, 'Don't get on it,'" Dash told Us Weekly in an emotional interview published Tuesday.

But Aaliyah, who was just 22 at the time, felt she had no choice. According to Dash, she texted back that she had to do it for the video — referring to her "Rock the Boat" music video she'd just finished filming in the Bahamas.

"She knew the plane wasn't right, and she was always scared of planes," the music executive continued, revealing that Aaliyah would travel with a "satin pillow" she called her "good-luck pillow" to help ease her flying anxiety.

The Tea ☕

• Aaliyah texted Damon Dash her concerns about the plane before the fatal crash on August 25, 2001
• She told him she "had to do it for the video" — rushing back from the Bahamas after filming "Rock the Boat"
• An eyewitness later claimed Aaliyah was given a pill for a headache and was carried onto the plane while asleep

She Just Wanted To Get Back To Him

Dash believes Aaliyah ultimately boarded the twin-engine Cessna 402B because she wanted to quickly return to him in Miami.

"She said, 'I am just going to do this video then come right back,'" he recalled.

According to Kathy Iandoli's 2022 biography "Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah," an eyewitness alleged that the "Try Again" singer vocalized her concerns about the aircraft and complained of a headache before one of her team members gave her a pill, Page Six reports.

Kingsley Russell, who was working for a transportation company at the time, claimed Aaliyah was carried onto the plane while asleep around 6:50 p.m. on that fateful day.

What Went Wrong

The plane crashed less than a minute after takeoff and burst into flames.

All nine people on board were killed, including Aaliyah's bodyguard Scott Gallin, her glam team (Anthony Dudd, Christopher Maldonado, and Eric Forman), music executives Gina Smith and Douglas Kratz, and her friend Keith Wallace.

The subsequent investigation revealed a horrifying series of failures, according to CBS:

• Pilot Luis Antonio Morales, 30, was not approved to fly the aircraft
• He was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine
• The plane was overloaded by 700 pounds
• The weight wasn't evenly distributed

Her Legacy Lives On

Despite the tragedy, Aaliyah's "Rock the Boat" video was released two months after her death in October 2001, becoming a bittersweet tribute to the late star.

Her parents, Michael and Diane Haughton, filed a lawsuit against Instinct Productions — the video production company that coordinated transportation for their daughter in the Bahamas — and reached an undisclosed settlement in 2003, according to The New York Times.

Twenty-five years on, Aaliyah's music, style, and influence continue to inspire new generations of artists. But knowing she had concerns about that flight and got on anyway? That makes this tragedy hit even harder. 💔

Do you remember where you were when you heard about Aaliyah's death? Share your memories below.

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Sources:

• Page Six