Aaliyah: The singer lived only 22 years, but millions of fans feel like they knew her a lifetime

Interview, Feb, 2002 by Dimitri Ehrlich

There are a lot of kinds of love. A fan's is among the most enduring, because it is based on projection, rather than on a personal relationship. When Aaliyah's plane crashed in the Bahamas on August 25 last year, death once again proved two things: first, that it snatches even the young and wholesome, rudely and without warning; and second, that when it takes a star like Aaliyah from her fans, the relationship is ruptured but far from over.

This second truth is evident in the throngs of Aaliyah fans who will undoubtedly savor her recordings for years to come, and whose devotion will probably save her final film, Queen of the Damned, from direct-to-video status. By continuing to adore her, fans send a metaphorical postcard to her, wherever she rests now. They also sent plenty of real messages, like the ones shown on this page. "We got so much from you," they say to the larger-than-life role model they lost, "We felt represented, understood. And our loyalty doesn't end now that you're gone."