Grammy-winning R&B singer D'Angelo, recognised for his raspy yet smooth voice and for attracting mainstream attention with the shirtless Untitled (How Does It Feel) music video, has died aged 51.
The singer, whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer, died on Tuesday, local time after a long struggle with cancer, his family said in a statement.
They called him "a shining star of our family," adding they are "eternally grateful for the legacy of extraordinarily moving music he leaves behind".
In his music, D'Angelo blended hip-hop grit, emphatic soul and gospel-rooted emotion into a sound that helped spearhead the neo-soul movement of the 1990s.
Earlier this year, the Virginia native celebrated the 30th anniversary of his debut studio album Brown Sugar, a platinum-selling offering that 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.
D'Angelo's sultry vocal style set him apart from his peers and the minimalist music video for his 2000 single Untitled (How Does It Feel) became a cultural touchstone, igniting conversations about artistry, sexuality and vulnerability.
The song earned him a Grammy for best male R&B vocal performance and propelled his sophomore album, Voodoo, to the top of the Billboard 200 chart.
It went on to win the Grammy for best R&B album.
In a 2000 interview with the Associated Press, D'Angelo spoke candidly about the cost of chasing commercial success.
"[Musicians] have gotten trapped into that mode of thinking marketable and commercial," he said.
"That destroys art."
Beyond his own catalogue, D'Angelo's artistry shined in collaborations.
He memorably paired with Lauryn Hill on the soulful ballad Nothing Even Matters and contributed to The Roots' 1996 album Illadelph Halflife.
Acclaim and absence
Years before stepping back from public view, D'Angelo's life and music were closely intertwined, during the '90s, with Grammy-nominated R&B singer Angie Stone.
The pair met while he was finishing Brown Sugar and Stone once described D'Angelo as her "musical soulmate".
They had a son together, Michael Archer Jr, who went on to become a musician known as Swayvo Twain.
Stone died earlier this year in a car crash aged 63.
D'Angelo also has a daughter, Imani Archer, who is also a musician.
After Voodoo D'Angelo's withdrew from the spotlight for more than a decade, fuelling speculation about personal struggles and creative battles.
His long-awaited return came in 2014 with Black Messiah, credited to D'Angelo and The Vanguard.
The politically-charged album arrived amid nationwide protests and helped usher in a wave of activist music responding to police killings of black Americans.
The album won him a Grammy for best R&B album, reaffirming his stature as a generational voice.
Its stand-out single, Really Love, earned him another Grammy for best R&B song and earned a nomination for record of the year.
In May D'Angelo withdrew from a headline slot at the 2025 Roots Picnic in Philadelphia due to "an unforeseen medical delay regarding surgery".
AP
