The music community is mourning a tragic loss.
D’Angelo—who became a Grammy winning singer and artist under the stage name—died on Oct. 14 following a battle with cancer, his loved ones confirmed. He was 51.
“The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life,” his family shared in a statement shared with E! News. “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.”
They 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 passing of D’Angelo (whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer) comes five months after he had to cancel a performance at Philadelphia’s Roots Picnic festival in May.
At the time, in a statement shared by the festival on his behalf, D’Angelo shared the cancellation was “due to an unforeseen medical delay regarding surgery” he had earlier in the year, adding that he was advised by his “team of specialists that the performance […] could further complicate matters.”
Expressing his disappointment to miss the chance to perform with his “brothers” in The Roots, D’Angelo added, “I’m so thankful to my beautiful fans for continuing to rock with me and I thank you for your continued support.”
Maxwell ultimately stepped in to fill D’Angelo’s slot, wishing him a a speedy recovery during the performance.
“We thank him,” Maxwell added, “for the promise and the path that he brought to all of us in neo soul.”
D’Angelo began his career at age 17 when he signed by Midnight Songs LLC at the age of 17, after Jocelyn Cooper heard a demo he rapped on and produced in 1991.
It wasn’t until he co-wrote and co-produced 1994’s “U Will Know” for Black Men United that D’Angelo was catapulted to the main stage, laying the groundwork for his debut studio album Brown Sugar in 1995 which was credited with ushering in the neo soul movement.
The album’s single “Lady” also peaked in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 list.
Throughout his career, D’Angelo collaborated with artists such as Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill—he can be heard on the duet “Nothing Even Matters” from Lauryn’s debut solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
In addition to his other hits, D’Angelo’s 2000 single, “How Does It Feel,” captured the attention of many fans and the industry overall, in part due to his highly-talked about, risqué music video that accompanied the track.
The Brown Sugar artist won his first of what would become four Grammys in 2001 for Best R&B Album with Voodoo, an award he’d win again in 2016 for Black Messiah.
In his personal life, D'Angelo shared son SwayvoTwain, born Michael Archer Jr., with the late Angie Stone, who died in a car accident earlier this year. D'Angelo was also dad to daughter Imani Archer and son Morocco Archer from a different relationship.
Following D’Angelo’s death, a number of his fans and peers mourned his passing.
“Such a sad loss to the passing of D'angelo,” DJ Premier wrote on X. “We have so many great times. Gonna miss you so much. Sleep Peacefully D' Love You KING.”
RCA Records also mourned D'Angelo as a "peerless visionary who effortlessly blended the classic sounds of soul, funk, gosepel, R&B, and jazz with a hip hop sensibility."
The organization continued, "D’Angelo’s songwriting, musicianship, and unmistakable vocal styling has endured and will continue to inspire generations of artists to come."
After all, for D’Angelo, music was everything.
“I plan to be involved in music—doing music, writing music—for the rest of my life,” he told Interview Mag in 2013. “But I can’t see the future. I don’t know what tomorrow’s gonna bring. To me, music is far more deep than making videos and doing s--t like that… Music is me. That’s what I am, really."
As he put it, "That’s a part of me till the day I die.”