August 25th marked the 20th anniversary of Aaliyah's tragic, heartbreaking death. To celebrate her life, her family had planned a day of remembrance at her burial site, but their plans were abruptly halted.
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In a message to the "special ones" as Diane Haughton (Aaliyah's mom) lovingly calls Aaliyah fans, she expressed her frustration with the late singer's resting place now allegedly being used as a site for promotion. Haughton wrote, "First and foremost, I want to thank my dear ‘Special Ones’ (The Fans) that have been with us for years and supported every endeavor that came our way without hesitation. However, due to the behavior of an individual that has been to Aaliyah’s resting place in order to promote a book, I have been forced to make a drastic change at Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum."
She continued, "This person interrupted all my thoughts and ideas to make August 25th, 2021 a day of Remembrance and Love for my daughter. Please accept my sincere apologies for this and know I love you and always will. Aaliyah’s life will still shine no matter what."
Many presumed Haughton was referring to Kathy Iandoli, the author of Baby Girl: Better Known As Aaliyah— an unofficial biography on Aaliyah's life. Iandoli quickly refuted the allegation. She tweeted, "I did not promote my book outside of Aaliyah’s gravesite. That is offensive to even suggest. I have been told that fans have had my book there with them. Please no longer bring my book to Ferncliff. Apologies that fans can not visit Aaliyah’s resting place."
Iandoli did express that she asked for the family's permission before making the book, but they refused to be involved. She told Vanity Fair, "I did reach out to the family for permission. It’s a strange legal situation involving the estate of Aaliyah, and I learned the complexities of this after Prodigy passed away, because you have the human and then you have the personality, the artist, the image."
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