We have tragic news to report from the world of music today:
Iconic R&B artist D’Angelo has passed away at the age of 51.
News of the singer’s passing comes courtesy of a source close to the situation:
D’Angelo passed away following short battle with pancreatic cancer
“He was in hospice for two weeks but had been in the hospital for months,” the insider told TMZ, adding that D’Angelo — whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer — had been battling pancreatic cancer.
DJ Premier, who collaborated with D’Angelo on the 1998 hit “Devil’s Pie” was one of the first celebrities to express his condolences:
“Such a sad loss to the passing of D’angelo. We have so many great times. Gonna miss you so much. Sleep Peacefully D’ Love You KING,” he wrote on X.
After wowing the crowd during two Amateur Night at the Apollo performances in the early 1990s, Archer used his prize money to begin recording his 1995 debut album Brown Sugar.
The project was an immediate success and established D’Angelo as one of the most electrifying performers in the industry.
His sophomore album, 2000’s Voodoo, was an even bigger smash, reaching number one on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.
The album also won two Grammys, one for Best R&B Album and one for the song “Untitled (How Does It Feel).”
A promising career derailed
Sadly, as his substance issues mounted, D’Angelo’s career began to falter.
He was arrested in 2005 for possession of cocaine and marijuana, along with DWI.
A week after his sentencing, D’Angelo was involved in a car accident and was rumored to be badly injured.
He wouldn’t release his third album until 2014, and while many consider Black Messiah to be D’Angelo’s best work, it would also be his final completed studio album.
Sources close to the singer say he was working on new music in the months leading up to his diagnosis, and there are plans to release those songs posthumously.
D’Angelo is survived by his three children.
Our thoughts go out to his loved ones during this enormously difficult time.