Aaliyah’s Uncle Blames His Own Son for Singer’s Fatal Plane Crash

Source: CHRIS DELMAS / Getty More than 25 years after Aaliyah’s death, a bitter family feud has resurfaced with a stunning allegation: The late singer’s uncle says his own son bears some responsibility for the plane crash that killed her. According to a lawsuit obtained by TMZ, Jomo Hankerson is suing his father, Barry Hankerson, and his record label, Blackground Records, over a dispute involving Aaliyah’s music and other artists’ catalogs. Barry was Aaliyah’s uncle and longtime manager, while Jomo is his son and Aaliyah’s cousin. In court documents, Barry claims Jomo was paid to coordinate travel for Aaliyah’s music video shoot in the Bahamas in August 2001—the trip that ended with the singer and eight others dying when their plane crashed shortly after takeoff. Barry alleges that Jomo “failed in his responsibility” to handle the travel arrangements, claiming the tragedy “may have been avoided” if his son had completed the job he was paid to do.

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