Events in 2001
- New Orleans International Airport was renamed Louis Armstrong International Airport on August 2, 2001, in honor of the New Orleans-born trumpeter, singer, and bandleader Louis Armstrong.
- Ron Townson, singer with The 5th Dimension, died on August 2, 2001, at the age of 68 from kidney failure.
- Ron Townson, co-founder of The 5th Dimension, died at the age of 68 from kidney failure.
- Whitney Houston signed a new recording contract with Arista Records worth more than $100 million.
- Atomic Kitten reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with their version of “Eternal Flame.”
- “Bootylicious” by Destiny's Child reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It was their fourth U.S. No. 1 hit.
- Dave Stewart married fashion photographer Anoushka Fisz on a private beach on the French Riviera. Guests included Elton John, Mick Jagger, Liam and Noel Gallagher, and Annie Lennox.
- The News of the World reported that Mariah Carey had hired private investigator Jack Palladino to monitor her former husband, Tommy Mottola. Palladino said Carey believed that Mottola was conducting a smear campaign against her.
- Whitney Houston signed a new contract with Arista Records reportedly worth more than $100 million.
- Skladatel, hudebník, herec a virtuózní hráč na harmoniku Larry Adler zemřel v Londýně ve věku 87 let. Proslul spoluprací s Georgem Gershwinem, Kate Bush, Stingem a Ralphem Vaughanem Williamsem i vlastními virtuózními vystoupeními.
- Usher vydal své třetí album „8701“. Album obsahovalo dva hity číslo jedna, „U Remind Me“ a „U Got It Bad“; název alba odkazoval na den vydání.
- David Gray reached No. 1 on the UK albums chart with White Ladder, his fourth studio album. The album also topped the chart in Ireland and became one of the best-selling albums in both countries.
- NSYNC reached No. 1 on the US albums chart with their fourth studio album Celebrity. The album also topped the charts in Canada and Malaysia.
- Black Sabbath, Linkin Park, Slipknot and Marilyn Manson performed at Ozzfest at the PNC Bank Arts Centre in New Jersey.
- Shania Twain and her husband and producer, Mutt Lange, welcomed their son Eja.
- A pizza-stained piece of paper signed by three of the four members was sold for $48,000 (£17,441) to an anonymous collector at an auction in Melbourne. John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison signed it during the band's 1964 Australian tour at a hotel in Adelaide. Ringo Starr had laryngitis and did not join the tour.
- Alicia Keys began a three-week reign at No. 1 on the US singles chart with “Fallin'.” The song also reached No. 1 in Belgium and the Netherlands, while reaching No. 3 in the UK.
- Pop girl group Atomic Kitten reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with their debut studio album Right Now.
- Garage and hip-hop group So Solid Crew reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart for the first time with “21 Seconds.”
- The compilation Now That's What I Call Music! 7 reached No. 1 on the US album chart. The album was released by Virgin Records and featured songs by artists including Jennifer Lopez, Destiny's Child, Janet Jackson, Nelly and Aerosmith.
- The American soul singer and pianist died at the age of 61 and was found dead at her home in Beloit, Wisconsin, after her heart problems worsened. She was best known for “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)”, which reached number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1964; she was the first artist to have a hit with the song. After her initial success, she released another seventeen singles, with “Let It Be Me” (#5 in 1964) and “There’ll Come a Time” (#26 in 1969) making the biggest impact on the Hot 100. “The Shoop Shoop Song” was used in the opening titles of the 1984 film Desperately Seeking Susan starring Madonna, and in 1990 Cher recorded it for the closing credits of Mermaids; her version reached number one on the UK singles chart and was also successful in other European countries.
- Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted performed live with EchoBrain for the first time.
- The remaining European tour dates for Foo Fighters were canceled after drummer Taylor Hawkins was hospitalized following a drug overdose.
- Stevie Nicks postponed two concerts to undergo treatment for severe bronchitis.
- The Backstreet Boys resumed their Black & Blue World Tour 2001, which had been interrupted on July 9 after A.J. McLean entered a treatment center.
- Performers at the Carling Weekend Reading/Leeds festival included Travis, Eminem, Eels, Green Day, Marilyn Manson, Supergrass, PJ Harvey, Manic Street Preachers, Weezer, Iggy Pop, Queens of the Stone Age, The Cult, Frank Black, The Strokes, Ash, Stephen Malkmus, Mercury Rev and others. A three-day ticket cost £80.
- Aaliyah Haughton, a 22-year-old American R&B singer and actress, died along with eight other people in a plane crash in the Bahamas shortly after takeoff. She had been filming the music video for “Rock the Boat” there. Her third studio album “Aaliyah” continued to be successful after her death and has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide.
- David Gray reached number one on the UK album chart with “White Ladder”.
- British boy band Five scored their third and final UK number-one single with “Let's Dance”.
- Alicia Keys began a five-week run at No. 1 on the US chart with her debut single “Fallin'”.
- Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nelly Furtado were the headline acts at the V2001 festival in Hylands Park in Chelmsford, England.
- Alicia Keys’ album “Songs in A Minor” was released in the United Kingdom.
- Mary J. Blige released her fifth studio album “No More Drama” through MCA Records. The album debuted and peaked at No. 2 in the US and received two Grammy nominations.
- Puddle Of Mudd released their debut album “Come Clean”. The album sold more than three million copies, driven by the hits “Blurry”, “Control”, and “She Hates Me”.
- Weezer released “Island in the Sun”, the second single from the album “Weezer”, also known as “The Green Album”. It was a very laid-back song for the band, markedly different from their first single, “Hash Pipe”. The song became the most frequently licensed track in the band’s catalog and appeared, for example, in the TV series The Simpsons and The Sopranos and in the film Trolls Band Together.
- Alicia Keys released the single "Fallin'", which reached No. 1 on the US chart.
- Aaliyah's funeral was held at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in Manhattan, New York, six days after her death in a plane crash in the Bahamas. Hundreds of grieving fans accompanied her horse-drawn casket to the private ceremony, which was attended by Gladys Knight, Lil' Kim, Sean Combs, Timbaland and Missy Elliott. After the service, 22 white doves were released in her memory, representing each year of her life.