Nationwide — Neo-soul icon D’Angelo — who shared a son with fellow singer Angie Stone — has died on the age of 51, simply months after Stone’s passing earlier this 12 months. Their baby, Michael D’Angelo Archer II, has now misplaced each mother and father in a brief span of time, a heartbreaking tragedy for his or her household and followers alike. The legendary “Brown Sugar” hitmaker died on Tuesday, October 14, in New York Metropolis after a battle with pancreatic most cancers, in keeping with Folks.
D’Angelo, born Michael Eugene Archer, had been in hospice care for 2 weeks and hospitalized for months, a supply shared. TMZ was first to report his passing. Information of his demise sparked an outpouring of grief throughout the music business. DJ Premier, who collaborated with D’Angelo on the 1998 traditional “Satan’s Pie,” posted on X: “Such a tragic loss to the passing of D’Angelo. We have now so many nice instances. Gonna miss you a lot. Sleep Peacefully D’ Love You KING.”
A Richmond, Virginia native and the son of a Pentecostal minister, D’Angelo confirmed musical expertise from an early age. By age 3, he was enjoying piano, and by 5, he was performing in church alongside his father. As a teen, he shaped teams like Three of a Sort and Michael Archer and Exact earlier than making his mark at Novice Night time on the Apollo, the place he gained in 1991 after performing Johnny Gill’s “Rub You the Proper Means.”
Along with his Apollo prize cash, he returned residence to Richmond, purchased a four-track recorder, and commenced writing songs that will turn into his landmark 1995 debut album, Brown Sugar. The report went platinum inside a 12 months, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Prime R&B Albums chart and incomes 4 Grammy nominations. In 2000, his follow-up album Voodoo reached No. 1 on each the R&B and Billboard 200 charts and earned him two Grammy Awards, solidifying his place as a neo-soul pioneer.
As his fame grew, D’Angelo grew to become a intercourse image, particularly after the discharge of “Untitled (How Does It Really feel).” Nevertheless, fame additionally introduced private struggles. He battled drug and alcohol dependancy, was arrested in 2005 for possession and DUI, and survived a severe automobile crash shortly after. Although his challenges had been public, his inventive brilliance by no means dimmed.
In 2014, after years of anticipation, he launched Black Messiah, an album hailed as a contemporary soul masterpiece. It topped the U.S. Prime R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and earned one other Grammy Award. Through the years, D’Angelo collaborated with a few of music’s most revered artists, together with Questlove, Lauryn Hill, Raphael Saadiq, Widespread, Q-Tip, J Dilla, and naturally, Angie Stone.
In 2024, D’Angelo collaborated with Jay-Z on “I Need You Endlessly” for The Guide of Clarence soundtrack, and in keeping with Raphael Saadiq, he was engaged on new music. His demise marks the top of a groundbreaking musical journey — however his affect on soul, R&B, and Black music tradition will reside on for generations.
