Madame Tussauds announced earlier in the month that it was immortalizing Aaliyah in wax after fans pushed the for the idea by starting several petitions. Yesterday (August 21) the world-famous wax museum Las Vegas location unveiled the life-like statue of the late singer, and it should make devotees extremely happy.

Madame Tussauds won’t have to try again (see what we did there) when it comes to their latest wax figure. With the help of Aaliyah’s brother Rashad Haughton, they accurately memorialized the iconic singer/actress. In a Vibe exclusive, Tussauds Las Vegas Studio Manager, Adam Morery — who designed the set — revealed that talks of making an Aaliyah figure began a year and a half ago.

“This set, rather than being a recreation of any one particular Aaliyah moment, was instead designed with a message to her fans in mind,” he says. “It’s a message that hopefully reflects her everlasting legacy.”

The figure itself looks like it was plucked right out of Aaliyah’s visual for her 2000 hit record “Try Again.”The statue is dressed in her signature leather pants paired with the metallic bra and choker that fans of the singer loved. Till this day, the look is a popular Halloween costume among celebs including Zendaya, Kim Kardashian (who was dragged) and Keke Palmer.

Morery further clarified why they chose to go with the “Try Again” look in an email response to the Vibe:

“It was clear right away it would be the ‘Try Again’ look for our Aaliyah figure. The look has the sexy, edgy, timeless vibe we try to imbue in the Las Vegas attraction within all our creative choices. Mining popular culture as only Madame Tussauds can, our desire to honor Aaliyah and the look in this way was only confirmed as we see today’s Hollywood stars like KeKe Palmer, Kim Kardashian, Zendaya, also paying homage by recreating their own favorite moments of the Princess of R&B.”

Morery also explained that Aaliyah’s brother was one of the “critical voices”  in making sure the statue was as accurate as possible even down to the tattoos. Haughton was instrumental in giving the sculptors, painters, and stylists “unprecedented access.” In an email statement, he spoke in detail on his involvement:

“I was involved in the process from the inception of the project. The team at Madame Tussauds welcomed a collaborative effort in choosing the pose and look of my sister’s figure. They made sure my mother and I were comfortable and supported through an amazing but understandably emotional process.”

“One thing we made sure to include was all of my sister’s tattoos. They are all quite hidden because my sister chose strategic places for them due to her on-camera film work. We know how devout and knowledgeable her fans are and the great artists at Madame Tussauds have no limitations to their abilities when it comes to detail.”

It’s a fitting tribute for the singer affectionately called Baby Girl by her fans.

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Photo: Gabe Ginsberg / Getty

Source: HipHopWired.com

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