Jonathan Mannion was the last photographer to take pictures of Aaliyah before she passed in a fatal plane crash.

The shoot was about two decades about but the famed photographer vividly remembers his time with her. “I had to do 10 shots in four hours. She would say let’s have a moment of singing and she would belt out some tunes, so it was like hearing an angelic voice,” he told Page Six Tuesday at the launch of Moët & Chandon: Nectar of the Culture.

Mannion and the late singer linked up to shoot the cover for her self-titled, third studio album. “It was a relentless pace. She was charming, elegant and graceful all the way through. There is star power, and then there is something else. I really think she is the definition of grace and elegance.”

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INCOMPARABLE. Sending all of the incredible people who support me and my work a special thank you with this EXCLUSIVE Aaliyah photo from my session with her in 2001. We’re coming up on the anniversary of a sad day when she was called home, but instead… let’s celebrate the time that we had with her and the fact that her memory brings sooo many people soo much joy! Let us cherish the work that she made and her sweet spirit. Her legacy is in tact! @aaliyahdanahaughton @jonathanmannion. PS. Check my stories!

A post shared by Jonathan Mannion (@jonathanmannion) on Aug 23, 2019 at 1:42pm PDT

For the kids reading this who are to young to know who Jonathan Mannion is, he photographed all your favorite rappers. He shot over 300 Hip Hop and R&B album covers including Jay Z, Dr. Dre, Aaliyah, Outkast, Nas, Nicki Minaj, Brandy Norwood and Kendrick Lamar.

The post Jonathan Mannion Remembers Aaliyah Being ‘Graceful’ Throughout her Last Photo Shoot appeared first on The Source.

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