Grammy award-winning R&B singer D’Angelo has died following a “prolonged and courageous battle with cancer,” his family said in a statement. He was 51.
“The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life,” according to a family statement. “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 family 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.”
The Untitled (How Does It Feel) singer, whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer, celebrated the 30th anniversary of his debut studio album Brown Sugar earlier this year. The platinum-selling album offering produced signature hits like Lady and the title track. The 1995 album earned him multiple Grammy nominations and cemented him as one of R&B’s most original new voices.
Many celebrities and fans took to social media to pay tribute to D’Angelo after news of his death spread.
D’Angelo’s sultry vocal style became inseparable from the striking visuals of his 2000 single Untitled (How Does It Feel). The minimalist, shirtless music video became a cultural touchstone, igniting conversations around artistry, sexuality and vulnerability in Black male representation.
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The song earned him a Grammy for best male R&B vocal performance and propelled his sophomore album Voodoo. topping the Billboard 200 chart and winning the Grammy for best R&B album.
Beyond his own catalog, D’Angelo’s artistry shined in collaborations. He memorably duetted with Lauryn Hill on the soulful ballad Nothing Even Matters, a highlight of her landmark 1998 album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. He also contributed to The Roots’ 1996 album Illadelph Halflife and was part of the supergroup Black Men United, which yielded one song: U Will Know, which D’Angelo wrote and co-produced, for the film Jason’s Lyric in 1994.
D’Angelo was partnered to Grammy-nominated R&B singer Angie Stone in the ’90s. The pair met while he was finishing Brown Sugar and bonded over their similar backgrounds: Both are from the South and both grew up in the church. Stone worked on the album with D’Angelo and the pair co-wrote the song Everyday for her 1999 debut album, Black Diamond.
He is survived by his daughter, Imani Archer and two sons, Morocco Archer and Michael Archer Jr., also known as Swayvo Twain.
— With files from The Associated Press
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