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American Morning

Aaliyah Honored at Lady of Soul Award Show

Aired August 29, 2001 - 10:41   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A young star's death dominates one of R&B's biggest awards shows.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. Let's go to CNN's Laurin Sydney standing by in New York to find out some more in this hour's "Showbiz Today Reports."

Good morning, Laurin.

LAURIN SYDNEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How are you Daryn and Leon?

Soul Train's Lady of Soul Awards aims to celebrate the musical achievements of women. Last night's 7th annual presentation took on a more poignant tone following the death of R&B star Aaliyah.

CNN's Paul Vercammen has more on the awards show that became a memorial.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aaliyah is a good friend of ours in the music business. Some of us are closer to her. If she was here, she would have gotten her party on.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tragedy turned the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards into a farewell for a fallen sister, Aaliyah. Patti LaBelle received the Lena Horne Award for career achievement, and wondered aloud about a career and life cut short.

PATTI LABELLE, SINGER: I know that we are all thinking about our friend Aaliyah. So all of this happiness that I'm getting tonight is sort of mixed.

VERCAMMEN: The show was dedicated to the 22-year-old Aaliyah, who died with eight others in a plane crash in the Bahamas Saturday.

AALIYAH (singing): If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again.

VERCAMMEN: Aaliyah was nominated for rhythm and blues, soul or rap song of the year, "Try Again." Yolanda Adams won that Lady of Soul honor.

YOLANDA ADAMS, SINGER: Aaliyah was definitely a special part of my life. We will all miss her.

VERCAMMEN (on camera): Aaliyah described her own style as "street but sweet," and that tender side stirred up a lot of emotion at the Lady of Soul Awards.

BRIAN MCKNIGHT, SINGER: The one thing about Aaliyah that really stood out to me was that she's really genuine, and she was nice and not really jaded by being a star.

RONALD ISLEY, SINGER: We were devastated. We loved Aaliyah. She loved us. She talks about us in all of her interviews.

JILL SCOTT, SINGER: How do you feel? She's 22, talented, beautiful. How do you feel? You're numb. It hurts and it's sad, and we'll miss her.

VERCAMMEN (voice-over): Jill Scott won a show-stopping four Lady of Soul Awards, including the entertainer of the year.

SCOTT (singing): You'll love me, you'll like me.

VERCAMMEN: 3LW won two awards, including group album of the year.

3LW: When we found out about Aaliyah's death, we were in dance rehearsal, and we all just took the time just to pray for traveling mercies, and you know, just to the ask him to let us enjoy every day of our lives and be grateful and thankful:

VERCAMMEN: During their climb from Houston to worldwide fame, Destiny's Child received encouragement from Aaliyah. The trio, honored for their single "Survivor," dedicated their song "Emotion" to Aaliyah. A requiem for a fellow singer.

DESTINY'S CHILD (singing): Now that I need you. Tears on my pillow.

(on camera): She was our age, and it's just scary because that could have been anyone of us. And she was an angel. And I know that she is with God.

(singing): In the words of a broken heart, it's just emotion taking me over.

VERCAMMEN: Paul Vercammen, CNN, Santa Monica, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SYDNEY: While details of Aaliyah's funeral are being kept private, U.S. and Bahamian officials continue to search for clues into the cause of Saturday's crash.

That's it for this "Showbiz Today Reports." Please joins us at 11:35 a.m. eastern for much more entertainment news. Until next time, in New York, I'm Laurin Sydney. Let's go back to Daryn and Leon in Atlanta. KAGAN: Thank you.

HARRIS: Thanks, Laurin.

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