The Tribune

A NEW allegation in an upcoming book claims American pop singer Aaliyah was drugged before she boarded an ill-fated flight that led to her death along with eight others in Abaco, Bahamas nearly 20 years ago.

The claim is revealed in a new biography called “Baby girl: Better known as Aaliyah” written by music journalist Kathy Iandoli.

The book – which is set to be released on Atria books August 17- features comments from Bahamian Kingsley Russell, who claimed the pop singer refused to board the aircraft because it was overloaded and also, due to her headaches.

Then 13-years-old, Russell, whose family ran a taxicab in the Bahamas, was reportedly with Aaliyah’s team as a baggage carrier when his stepmother drove the team to the airport on that fateful day.

Russell said after Aaliyah refused to board the plane, she went back to the taxi. However, he claimed that one of her team members stopped to check on her and later gave her a sleeping pill.

According to reports, the pilot had initially expressed reservations about the aircraft’s ability to carry eight passengers, including their luggage and other equipment.

However, it was reported that the pilot eventually relented, and Aaliyah – asleep at the time, was carried onto the aircraft.

“They took her out of the van; she didn’t even know she was getting boarded on a plane,” Russell said in the book. “She went on the airplane asleep.”

It was reported that Iandoli reached out to Russell after watching a now deleted YouTube video he posted about basketball star Kobe Bryant’s death – which Russell claimed reminded him of watching Aaliyah being taken onboard the plane while knocked out with sleeping pills.

She told the Daily Beast, an American news website, that she always felt uneasy about the story of Aaliyah’s death, and felt closure after interviewing Russell.

I remember when Aaliyah passed away, I was really upset,” Iandoli told the Daily Beast. “The story kept saying that she was adamant about getting on the plane. I was almost upset with her. Why did you want to get on that plane so badly? I remember wrestling with this, being like, ‘Well, she wanted to get back to Damon Dash, she wanted to be with her team, and who wouldn’t want their stuff with them?”

“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 added. “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.”

The 22-year-old singer was killed August 25, 2001 after her charter plane crashed shortly after take-off from Marsh Harbour, Abaco.