Fans Mourn Aaliyah in New York Services

Weeping and applauding fans of soul singer Aaliyah marched Friday alongside a horse-drawn carriage carrying the body of the young artist, who died Saturday after her private plane crashed just after takeoff in the Bahamas.

The procession kicked off a daylong tribute to the 22-year-old Grammy-nominated performer, which included a memorial event attended by more than 3,000 people at a banquet hall across from Grand Central Terminal.

Wiping tears and cheering “We love you, Aaliyah,” her admirers walked several blocks from a Manhattan funeral home to St. Ignatius Loyola Church on Park Avenue, where they joined hundreds more fans crowded behind police barricades.

Aaliyah’s coffin could be seen through the glass sides of the carriage, drawn by two white horses. Five limousines stuffed full of flower arrangements followed close behind.

Inside, a litany of entertainment celebrities mourned her at an invitation-only service, including boxer Mike Tyson, rapper Lil’ Kim, music mogul Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, producer Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley and rapper Jay-Z.

Among others in attendance were television host Ananda Lewis, rapper Missy Elliott and actor Delroy Lindo, who starred with Aaliyah in the 2000 film “Romeo Must Die.”

After the service, which lasted more than an hour, 22 white doves were released from the steps of the church into the sky, one for each year of the singer’s life, organizers said.

Aaliyah Haughton and eight other people were killed when their twin-engined Cessna propeller plane crashed into swampy scrub and burst into flames shortly after taking off from Marsh Harbour airport in the Bahamas.

The singer and the others were returning to Florida from Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas after filming a music video.

Although investigators have not released formal findings, police have said they are trying to determine if overloading or engine failure played a role in the crash. Bahamian police have said the plane may have been overloaded by as much as 700 pounds.

Aaliyah had enjoyed a string of hits and was preparing to turn the volume up on her acting career.

Earlier Friday, fans lined up outside Cipriani, a cavernous catering hall that typically accommodates New York’s upper crust, with flowers, stuffed animals and written messages of support for the singer’s family. Inside, two 10-foot screens played her music videos, while fans filed along a single candlelighted path and put their names and thoughts in 10 register books.

“She was very respectful,” said Jasmine Scott of Brooklyn, who had just passed through the memorial. “She wasn’t like most entertainers where she was always talking about sex and money, she respected herself, she wasn’t half naked, and she talked about positive things.

“Her death hurts the heart,” she said.

Sales of her new album jumped 41% last week, according to Soundscan, which tracks record sales.