Grammy-winning R&B singer D’Angelo has died at the age of 51.
According to a statement from the family, the singer – real name Michael Eugene Archer – died on Tuesday after a battle with cancer. The statement read: “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 14, 2025. We aare 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 in 1974 in South Richmond, Virginia, D’Angelo’s debut album Brown Sugar arrived in 1995. The album won critical praise and commercial success, earning four Grammy Award nominations and peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums char while going platinum within a year of its release. Brown Sugar also spawned the hit single “Lady,” which reached the top 10 on the Billboard charts. In 2000, D’Angelo’s sophomore album Voodoo debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and went on to win the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album the following year. Its standout track, “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” also earned him a Grammy for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance.
D’Angelo went over a decade without releasing music after ‘Vodoo,’ before releasing Black Messiah in 2014. That album would also go on to win best R&B album at the Grammys in 2016, with its lead single “Really Love” won best R&B song and was nominated for record of the year. He also collaborated with artists including Lauryn Hill (duetting with Hill on “Nothing Even Matters” off her album ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,’ earning them both a Grammy nomination for best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocal). Other collaborators included Erykah Badu, Questlove, Common, Q-Tip, J Dilla, Raphael Saadiq, and Angie Stone — with whom D’Angelo shared a son (Stone died in March at age 63). D’Angelo also had two other children, a son and daughter.
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