D’Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer and musician who helped usher in the neo-soul movement, has died after a private battle with cancer, his family announced on Tuesday. He was 51.
“The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life,” his family said in a statement to multiple news outlets. “After a prolonged and courageous battle with cancer, we are heartbroken to announce that Michael D’Angelo Archer, known to his fans around the world as D’Angelo, has been called home, departing this life today.
“We are saddened that he can only leave dear memories with his family, but we are eternally grateful for the legacy of extraordinarily moving music he leaves behind,” the statement added. “We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time but invite you all join us in mourning his passing while also celebrating the gift of song that he has left for the world.”
D’Angelo performs in Chicago, April 4, 2000. (Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
Born Michael Archer in Richmond, Va., D’Angelo grew up playing music with his older brother Luther Archer. In 1994, they wrote and co-produced the single “U Will Know” for the R&B supergroup Black Men United, which featured Brian McKnight, Usher, R. Kelly, Boyz II Men and Raphael Saadiq, among others.
D’Angelo released his critically acclaimed debut album, Brown Sugar, the following year. His sophomore album, Voodoo, was released in 2000 and is considered a genre-bending landmark.
It won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. And the sultry single “United (How Does It Feel)” earned D’Angelo a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, while the song’s music video — featuring a nude, slow-jam crooning D’Angelo — turned him into an unwitting sex symbol. (Critic Robert Christgau once dubbed D’Angelo “R&B Jesus” and a better performer than Marvin Gaye.)
It also drove him away from the public eye. After Voodoo, he did not release another studio album until 2014’s Black Messiah, which also won the Grammy for Best R&B Album.
D’Angelo collaborated with numerous R&B and hip-hop artists as part of a loose collective known as the Soulquarians, including the Roots, Common, J. Dilla, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and his then-girlfriend Angie Stone, with whom he shared a son.
Stone, 63, died in a car crash earlier this year.
D’Angelo performs in Byron Bay, Australia, March 24, 2016. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
In May, D’Angelo abruptly canceled a scheduled headlining performance at the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia, citing “an unforeseen” medical issue stemming from a recent surgery.
“It is with the deepest of regrets that [I] must cancel my performance at the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia,” D’Angelo wrote in a statement posted on the event’s Instagram page. “But, due to an unforeseen medical delay regarding surgery [I] had earlier this year, [I’ve] been advised by my team of specialists that the performance this weekend could further complicate matters.”
He thanked his fans for their “continued support” and added: “[I’m] currently in the Lab & can’t wait to serve Up what’s in the Pot! LOVE U All and will see you very soon!”
‘A true original’
As news of his death spread, fellow artists and musicians took to social media to post tributes.
“Gonna miss you so much,” DJ Premier wrote on X. “Sleep Peacefully D’ Love You KING.”
New York City’s Electric Lady studios, where D’Angelo recorded Voodoo, posted a caption-less image of the singer to Instagram.
Flea, bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, posted a heartfelt Instagram tribute, saying, “I never knew him but humbled myself before his music.”
“This really hurts,” Jennifer Hudson wrote on X. “We lost a true original today. It just doesn’t seem real!! It can’t be. D’Angelo, your voice will live on forever. Rest well, King!!!”
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