The Legendary Neo-Soul Singer, D’Angelo, Tragically Died

Wanjiru Waweru, Jadetimes Contributor

W. Waweru is a Jadetimes News Reporter Covering America & Entertainment News

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Image Source: Rich Fury/Invision/AP

D’Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer, was well-known for his unique and soothing voice, which caught the media's attention with his 2000 hit, Untitled (How Does It Feel), and its music video. The video made him a sex symbol. He passed away on October 14 at the age of 51.

The singer, whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer, passed away on Tuesday, according to his family’s statement after a long battle with pancreatic cancer:  "a shining star of our family and has dimmed his light for us in this life, eternally grateful for the legacy of extraordinarily moving music he leaves behind."

In his music, D’Angelo combined the roots of Hip-Hop with peaceful soul, gospel-herited emotion that became a neo-soul movement of the 1990s. Early this year, the Virginia native celebrated his 30th anniversary of his debut album, Brown Sugar, which received this 1995 album a Grammy nomination in, and became one of R&B's fresh voices.

D’Angelo’s seductive vocal range – “a mix of raspy texture and church-bred fluidity — set him apart from his peers. That voice became inseparable from the striking visuals of his 2000 single ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel).’ The minimalist, shirtless music video became a cultural touchstone, igniting conversations around artistry, sexuality and vulnerability in Black male representation. The song earned him a Grammy for best male R&B vocal performance and propelled his sophomore album ‘Voodoo’ topping the Billboard 200 chart and winning the Grammy for best R&B album.”

D’Angelo got a chance to collaborate with various artists, including Lauryn Hill, with the track called “Nothing Even Matters”   that is featured on her 1998 album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and became a contributor for the Roots with their 1996 album, Illadelph Halflife. 

D’Angelo joined Grammy Award-nominated R&B singer Angie Stone during the 1990s. They met when he was on his way to finish “Brown Sugar,” and they have shared similar backgrounds:  “both are from the South and both grew up in the church.” Stone worked on the album with him where they both co-wrote a song called “Everyday” that featured on her 1999 album Black Diamond.

Stone explained in the Associated Press in 1999 about D’Angelo as she described him as “musical soul mate,” and she continued about their professional relationship, "like milk and cereal …. musically, it was magic. It's something that I have not been able to do with any other producer or musician."

They had a son together, the artist Swayo Twain, born Michael Archer Jr.

Stone died in a Tragic Car Crash in March 2025, early this year, at the age of 63.

D’Angelo has a daughter named Imani Archer.

Wanjiru Waweru is a Jadetimes News Reporter covering America & Entertainment News for reporting D'Angelo's Death. You could email Wanjiru at sellmypaperwork@gmail.com and find more information about Sell My Paperwork.

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