Aaliyah News

(8/31/01, 4 p.m. ET) -- A New York City disc jockey has been suspended for mocking singer-actress Aaliyah's death on the air with a sound-effects tape that contained a woman's bloodcurdling screams followed by the sounds of a loud crash. WQHT-FM (Hot 97) DJ Star, whose real name is Troi Torain, has not been on the air since Tuesday (August 28), the day he made an on-air apology about the incident and a little more than 24 hours after he met with station managers, who were handling a deluge of complaints about the jokes.

When asked about the suspension, Star told New York's Daily News (August 31), "It's a business decision that the station had to make. I don't own that station, and I can't say that I should on there." Star also denied a rumor that he was pistol-whipped last week by some friends of Aaliyah. He said, "I haven't been attacked by anyone." However, Star added that he won't joke about her again anytime soon, saying, "I'm trying not to make fun of anything Aaliyah-related right now, because I'm aware people are trying to focus all their anger on me."

There's also an Internet campaign seeking to get Star off the air--the petition at petitiononline.com had been signed by more than 45,000 people as of Friday afternoon (August 31). In 1995, shock jock Howard Stern faced similar controversy when he played gunshot effects while discussing the death of Tejano singer Selena, who was shot to death that year. Stern ended up reading an apology on the air in Spanish. Star admits that the Aaliyah joke was "in poor taste," but he brought up the Stern incident, telling the Daily News, "I grew up listening to Howard Stern and other white humor [where] this sort of thing is not outrageous."

Star and his half-brother/on-air partner Buc Wild (Timothy Joseph) had been steadily gaining popularity since their morning show debuted a year ago. According to Arbitron spring ratings, their show placed fourth in the morning ratings. Buc Wild was on vacation when Star mocked Aaliyah's death. Star's other co-host Miss Jones said Friday morning that Buc Wild would be back on the air next week. Jones, who angrily stormed off the air when Star mocked Aaliyah's death and didn't return to Hot 97 airwaves until the morning after the incident, also said that Star's suspension would continue through next week. According to some reports, Star has been suspended indefinitely, but there has been no official announcement about his status with the station.

Star also made national news in July when he singled out actress-singer Jennifer Lopez for using the word "n--ga" in her latest song, "I'm Real" featuring Ja Rule. When Star made his apology on the air Tuesday (August 28) for joking about Aaliyah's death, he referenced the previous incident by saying how Lopez should still apologize for recording the song since he has now apologized for his own mistake in judgment.

-- Anna Maria Gibson, New York

Got news tips, comments, or questions? Send them to newstips@launch.com.