D’Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B artist and ’90s neo-soul pioneer, has died at the age of 51. His family confirmed the news Tuesday.
“The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life,” the artist’s family shared 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, Oct. 14, 2025.”
D’Angelo, born Michael Eugene Archer, was raised in Richmond, Virginia. While he originally began to gain mainstream attention in the early 1990s for writing and co-producing music for other artists, he achieved solo success with his 1995 debut album “Brown Sugar.” The album earned critical acclaim, was certified platinum and put D’Angelo at the forefront of the then-burgeoning neo-soul musical movement.
His other two solo albums, 200o’s “Voodoo” and 2014’s “Black Messiah,” received widespread acclaim and landed in the top 10 of the U.S. Billboard 200 Albums chart. His biggest hit single, the “Brown Sugar” track “Lady,” peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1996.
Throughout his life, D’Angelo was nominated for 14 Grammys and won 4. He took home his first two Grammys in 2001 when “Voodoo” won Best R&B Album and the single “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” earned D’Angelo the year’s award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. In 2016, he won Best R&B Album again for “Black Messiah,” as well as Best R&B Song for “Really Love.”
In addition to his solo career, D’Angelo was a founding member of the Soulquarians, a collective of Black artists that was active throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s. The collective’s other members included Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, J Dilla, Erykah Badu, Bilal, Q-Tip, Mos Def, Common and others. In 1998, D’Angelo performed the duet “Nothing Even Matters” with Lauryn Hill as part of her iconic, acclaimed debut solo album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.”
“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,” his family’s statement concluded Tuesday. “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.”
