Tributes pour in for Grammy-winning R&B singer and…
D’Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer and musician who helped usher in the neo-soul motion, died Tuesday after a personal battle with cancer, his household announced. He was 51.“The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life,” his household said in a press release to a number of news shops. “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.”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,” the statement added. “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.”D’Angelo performs in Chicago on April 4, 2000. (Paul Natkin/Getty Images)Born Michael Eugene Archer in Richmond, Va., D’Angelo was the youngest of three sons of a Pentecostal preacher. He grew up playing music with his older brother, Luther Archer. In 1994, they wrote and coproduced the single “U Will Know” for the R&B supergroup Black Men United, which featured Brian McKnight, Usher, R. Kelly, Boyz II Men and Raphael Saadiq, among others.D’Angelo released his critically acclaimed debut album, Brown Sugar, the following year. His sophomore album, Voodoo, was released in 2000 and is considered a genre-bending landmark.It received the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. And the sultry single “United (How Does It Feel)” earned D’Angelo a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, while the tune’s music video — that includes a nude, slow-jam crooning D’Angelo — turned him into an unwitting intercourse image. (Critic Robert Christgau as soon as dubbed D’Angelo “R&B Jesus” and a better performer than Marvin Gaye.)It also drove him away from the public eye, to alcohol abuse and ultimately rehab. In 2008, his former supervisor, Dominique Trenier, told Spin journal that D’Angelo was completely uncomfortable along with his intercourse image standing.”I’m glad the video did what it did,” Trenier recalled. “But he and I had been each upset because, to this day, in the basic populace’s reminiscence, he’s the bare dude.”After Voodoo, he didn’t release another studio album until 2014’s politically charged Black Messiah, which also received the Grammy for Best R&B Album.”We are deeply saddened by the passing of D’Angelo,” RCA Records, his longtime label, said in a press release. “He was a peerless visionary who effortlessly blended the classic sounds of soul, funk, gospel, R&B, and jazz with a hip hop sensibility.”D’Angelo performing in Byron Bay, Australia on March 24, 2016. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)D’Angelo collaborated with quite a few R&B and hip-hop artists as a part of a free collective generally known as the Soulquarians, including the Roots, Common, J.Dilla, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and his then-girlfriend Angie Stone, with whom he shared a son, Michael Archer Jr., a hip-hop artist who performs as Swayvo Twain.Stone died in a automotive crash earlier this yr.“I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers during these very difficult times, as it has been a very rough and sad year for me,” Michael Archer Jr. said in a press release to People journal on Tuesday. “I ask that you please continue to keep me in your thoughts as it will not be easy, but one thing that both my parents taught me was to be strong, and I intend to do just that.”D’Angelo also has another son, Morocco Archer, and a daughter, Imani Archer, who is a singer.In May, D’Angelo abruptly canceled a scheduled headlining performance at the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia, citing “an unforeseen” medical issue stemming from a current surgical procedure.“It is with the deepest of regrets that [I] must cancel my performance at the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia,” D’Angelo wrote in a statement posted on the event’s Instagram page. “But, due to an unforeseen medical delay regarding surgery [I] had earlier this year, [I’ve] been advised by my team of specialist that the performance this weekend could further complicate matters.”He thanked his fans for their “continued support” and added: “[I’m] currently in the Lab & can’t wait to serve Up what’s in the Pot! LOVE U All and will see you very soon!”‘A true original’As news of his death spread, fellow artists and musicians took to social media to post tributes.BeyoncéThe star singer posted this note on the front page of her official website:Rest in peace, Michael Eugene Archer, known to the world of music as the inimitable D’Angelo. We thank you for your beautiful music, your voice, your proficiency on the piano, your artistry. You were the pioneer of neo-soul and that changed and transformed rhythm & blues forever. We will never forget you.New York City’s Electric Lady studios, where D’Angelo recorded Voodoo, posted a captionless image of the singer to Instagram.FleaThe Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist posted a heartfelt Instagram tribute, saying, “I never knew him however humbled myself before his music.”Jennifer Hudson“This really hurts,” Hudson wrote on X. “We lost a true original today. It just doesn’t seem real!! It can’t be. D’Angelo, your voice will live on forever. Rest well, King!!!”Jamie FoxxThe actor posted a lengthy remembrance of D’Angelo to Instagram.John LegendThe soul singer also posted a lengthy tribute, recalling how Brown Sugar changed his life.Missy ElliottThe hip-hop legend asked for prayers for D’Angelo’s son Michael Archer Jr.Jill ScottThe neo-soul singer said that while she never met D’Angelo, she loved and admired him.Nile RodgersThe renowned producer and Chic guitarist recalled his first meeting with D’Angelo.
Stay in the loop with today’s greatest tales and trending headlines! C-lebrity.com is your trusted source for the latest top tales in leisure, lifestyle, and popular culture — all thoughtfully curated to tell and inspire you.
Visit us daily for the freshest updates, breaking news, and exclusive insights that preserve you linked to what’s taking place across the world of celebrities and leisure.