D’Angelo—renowned for his contributions to the neo-soul genre with memorable tracks like “Brown Sugar” and “Lady”—passed away on Tuesday, October 14, in New York City due to pancreatic cancer. According to a source who spoke to People, “He was in hospice for two weeks but had been hospitalized for several months.” He was 51 years old.
Michael Eugene Archer, born in Richmond, Virginia, D’Angelo began his career at the Apollo Theater in New York during the early 1990s. He gained recognition for co-writing and producing the song “U Will Know” for the R&B supergroup Black Men United in 1994. His debut album, Brown Sugar, was released in 1995, followed by his critically acclaimed second album, Voodoo, in 2000. The album Voodoo received a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album in 2001, and its hit single, “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” garnered three nominations at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. D’Angelo’s third studio album, Black Messiah, debuted in 2014, also winning accolades in the best R&B album category.
D’Angelo is survived by his three children and was in the midst of working on his fourth album with singer-songwriter Raphael Saadiq at the time of his passing. Since the announcement of his death, social media has seen an outpouring of tributes from fans and fellow artists alike. Below are some selected tributes to this iconic musician.
