Grammy-Winning R&B Singer Passes Away, Leaves Legacy of Music

The Grammy Award-winning R&B and soul singer known as D’Angelo has died at the age of 51. His death followed a fight against pancreatic cancer. This news was made official by his family and his former manager, Kedar Massenburg. As per TMZ, D’Angelo, whose legal name was Michael D’Angelo Archer, died on Tuesday morning in New York City. He had been receiving treatment for his illness for months. The singer had mostly kept the news of his sickness away from the public.

D’Angelo first became famous in 1995 with his first solo album, Brown Sugar. That album received a great deal of praise for its seamless mix of R&B and soul music styles. Throughout his working life, he worked with other musicians like Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, and Q-Tip. This work helped make him a very important figure in modern R&B music. His songs were admired for their deep feeling, carefully detailed production, and his unique way of singing.

Looking at the accomplishments in his career, D’Angelo won four Grammy Awards. His album Voodoo won the Grammy for Best R&B Album in the year 2001. Later, his album Black Messiah won that same award in 2016. He also received Grammy awards for Best R&B Song for his track Really Love and for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his song Untitled (How Does It Feel). He won both of these awards in the same year, 2016.

The One-of-a-kind Artist

The effect D’Angelo had on music went beyond just winning awards and receiving honors. His song Untitled (How Does It Feel) became especially well-known because of its music video. That video showed him by himself against a plain black background. He also performed “Unshaken” on the Red Dead Redemption 2 soundtrack. This simple and personal style made a strong and long-lasting impact on people who watched it. Both music experts and his fans have pointed to that video as one of the most important moments of his professional life.

Besides the music he made on his own, D’Angelo’s work with other artists was very important to the wider worlds of R&B and hip-hop music. His projects with other musicians from his time, such as Jay-Z and Q-Tip, helped create the specific sound of city-based music from the late 1990s and early 2000s. He did this by mixing classic soul music with newer beats and production methods. You can still hear the effect of his music in the R&B and neo-soul artists making music today.

After his death, D’Angelo’s family shared an official statement. In it, they shared their sadness and also their thankfulness for the music he left behind. The message said, “The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life … 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. 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.” They also asked his fans to honor his life by remembering all that he gave to music.

Last year, the musician Raphael Saadiq spoke on the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast. He said that D’Angelo was in the process of creating new songs. Saadiq described him as being excited about six new pieces of music he was developing. At that time, people who loved his music were expecting a new album from the singer. However, specific information about that new project is still very scarce.