Photo: Shahar Azran/Getty Images
Soul legend D’Angelo has died after his long battle pancreatic cancer. The Grammy-winning artist was 51.
On Tuesday (Oct. 14), his family confirmed the tragic news of the neo-soul singer’s passing in New York City earlier in the morning.
“The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life,” his family said in a 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, October 14th, 2025.”
It continued, “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. 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.”
Born, Michael Eugene Archer on Feb. 11, 1974, in Richmond, Virginia, the helped define the neo-soul movement since the mid ’90s. He released his stellar debut album, Brown Sugar in 1995 which spawned the hits “Brown Sugar” and “Lady” among others and followed up his success in 2000 with his Voodoo album featuring “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”, which earned him Grammys. After a long-hiatus, D’Angelo returned with his 2014 album Black Messiah. D’Angelo has been recently working on his forth studio album with Raphael Saadiq, which is planned to be released posthumously.
D’Angelo is survived by his daughter and two sons, which one he shared with late soul singer Angie Stone, who passed away earlier this year. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.