Saturday, August 25, 2001. This day, which began quietly in Abaco, changed me forever. Scheduled to preach in Baltimore, MD, I boarded a small plane to Miami and then on to Bmore. I joined 2 friends and went to dinner. We returned to our hotel room...and my phone started trumpeting call after call, first Diane Blanksumee, then Penny Mack...and then my Momma. It went from tabloid speculation to CNN confirmation. I had the last footage of Aaliyah, alive and vibrant. She was gone. So was my sweet friend Chris and so were 6 others. The press rounds were brutal because I had to speak their names so that people would honor them and their lives. But inside, I was a mess, a blessed, thankful, wavering, trembling, tearful mess. #NeverTooMuchTheMemoir #Aaliyah #RockTheBoat #BET #AccessGranted #BETTonight #EntertainmentTonight #CBSThisMorning #BehindTheMusic #EHollywoodStory #ThisIsMyStory