Aaliyah’s Uncle Blames Her Cousin for Fatal Plane Crash in Explosive Family Lawsuit

Aaliyah’s uncle claims his son is partly to blame for the late singer’s death, lobbing the bombshell allegation as the two fight over money in court.

A lawsuit was filed by Jomo Hankerson against Barry Hankerson and his record label, Blackground Records. Barry is Aaliyah’s uncle and longtime manager, while Jomo is his son and the singer’s cousin. In the docs, Barry claims Jomo was paid to coordinate travel for a music video shoot in the Bahamas. Aaliyah died in a plane crash on August 25, 2001, after filming the video for “Rock the Boat.”

Barry says Jomo “failed in his responsibility” to handle travel plans, and she instead took a private jet that crashed and killed everyone onboard. He claims the fatal crash “may have been avoided had [Jomo] followed through on his compensated task of travel coordination.” Barry also said his relationship with his son was never the same after Aaliyah’s death.

Beyond the allegations, Jomo claims his dad breached a settlement over music rights. He says he is owed 12% of the money Barry made from music assets for Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, DMX, and Timbaland. Jomo claims his father used the label to hide money, “manufacture expenses that have nothing to do with the music assets,” and pressure him into accepting less. He is seeking over $1.2 million in damages.

Barry denied all wrongdoing, claiming the settlement is invalid because it was executed under fraud. Barry also claimed his son once threatened to release unreleased Aaliyah music if his financial demands weren’t met. Jomo has also denied all claims of wrongdoing. The case is ongoing.